Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes: A New Challenge in the Treatment and Management

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. However, a correct and effective glycaemic control obtained by pharmacologic interventions, such as the use the novel glucose-lowering agents, demonstrated efficacy in reducing the risk of both cardiovascular events and mortality. The latest classes of glucose-lowering drugs introduced in the clinical practice are DPP4 inhibitors (sitagliptin, saxagliptin, vildagliptin, linagliptin, and alogliptin), GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide, liraglutide, albiglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide, and lixenatide), and SGLT-2 inhibitors (empaglifozin, canaglifozin, and dapaglifozin). Multiple lines of evidence show that all these new drugs associated with the treatment of diabetic disease have the same effectiveness as the traditional antidiabetic drugs, and excellent cardiovascular safety, highlighting their potential in significantly reducing major cardiovascular events and mortality. The aim of our review is to summarise the clinical efficacy of these recently introduced drugs to optimise treatment strategies, especially in the early phase of diabetic disease.