Reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

As obesity rates and life expectancies increase, diabetes mellitus continues to become more prevalent worldwide. Its complex pathophysiology is associated with micro- and macrovascular complications, with cardiovascular disease the leading cause of death in individuals with diabetes. Traditional anti-hyperglycaemic drugs have helped to improve glycaemic control without reducing cardiovascular complications, but novel agents such as sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT)-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonists have shown an effective reduction of adverse cardiovascular events.