Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is associated with high rates of cardiovascular disease (e.g., atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction) and cardiovascular mortality. Behaviors including smoking, physical inactivity, and sedentary lifestyle, as well as overweight and obesity, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Several large clinical trials have demonstrated definitively the effectiveness of lifestyle modification (e.g., diet, physical activity) in preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes. Similarly, behavioral interventions to improve self-management behaviors for blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipids can be effective in improving outcomes. Prevalent psychosocial and behavioral health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety) increase complexity of diabetes care and necessitate collaborative care approaches that target diabetes, cardiovascular, and behavioral health outcomes simultaneously.