Cardiovascular prevention in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: the role of oral glucose-lowering agents

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that requires medical diagnosis and treatment. Type 2 DM is due to a combination of defective secretion of and responsiveness to insulin. In early stages, the predominant abnormality is reduced insulin sensitivity, and hyperglycemia can be reversed by a variety of measures and medications. In this stage, the cornerstone of glucose-lowering therapy is lifestyle modification, but when counseling does not adequately achieve the recommended glycemic targets, at least five classes of oral drugs are available. In general, α-glucosidase inhibitors delay carbohydrate absorption, metiglinides and sulfonylureas increase insulin supply, and biguanides and thiazolidinediones enhance insulin action.Given the high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in type 2 DM patients, the attempt to reduce cardiovascular complications, beyond the glucose lowering itself, is an extremely relevant task. Indeed, the role of oral glucose-lowering agents concerning hyperglycemia reduction is defined; however, they have not clearly demonstrated to reduce micro- and macrovascular disease, and hitherto, no firm evidence favors one pharmacological treatment over another.The aim of this update is to describe the existing experiences with oral glucose-lowering agents for type 2 DM treatment with respect to cardiovascular prevention.