Evaluating the options in correcting dyslipidemia

Pharmacologic treatment of dyslipidemias, in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients, has been well proven to prolong patient survival and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and cardiovascular deaths. For patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, treatment may result in greater decreases in cardiovascular mortality than in nondiabetic patients. The clinical improvements demonstrated with pharmacologic, lipid-lowering approaches may be among the most significant that modern medicine can offer to patients with diabetes. However, even for nondiabetic patients, minimally elevated fasting glucose levels seem to be associated with increased rates of cardiovascular events, suggesting that aggressive lipid management in insulin-resistant patients may be extremely beneficial.