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Patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit higher cardiovascular risk than normal individuals. Optimal blood glucose levels are rarely achieved in diabetic patients. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have emerged as a new antidiabetic drug class with multiple metabolic effects. Some trials have evaluated their safety, but it has been recently demonstrated that this new class has cardiovascular benefits, through other mechanisms than glycemic control. The use of GLP-1RAs was associated with a significant reduction of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, with a safe profile related to pancreatitis or thyroid cancer, as compared with placebo. This review presents the cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of GLP-1 RAs versus placebo, in patients with type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide and liraglutide demonstrated a reduction in cardiovascular events, with similar rates on cardiovascular mortality. Ongoing trials assess the cardiovascular benefits and side effects of dulaglutide treatment. Exenatide and liraglutide demonstrated the decrease of blood pressure values, weight reduction and improvement of dyslipidemia. Liraglutide induced, both in vivo and in vitro, an improvement of blood circulation, increasing the nitric oxide level and inhibiting the adhesion and procoagulant factors. Also, liraglutide demonstrated beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction, but more large trials are required. However, the international guidelines recommend using GLP-1 RAs as first-line therapy in type 2 diabetes patients with high cardiovascular risk or as first-line agents in patients intolerant to metformin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are two conditions that often coexist. Both diseases are consequences of the systemic vascular disease, sharing common risk factors, like diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, smoking, obesity, dyslipidaemia. Furthermore, they share the same pathological basis, endothelial dysfunction. Symptoms of ED precede with three to five years the clinical manifestations of CVD. This period may be a window of opportunity for the early initiation of a prompt therapeutic action for cardiovascular risk factors. This article reviews the incidence and prevalence of CVD and ED, the common risk factors, the pathophysiological link between the two diseases, and the current diagnosis and management strategies of patients with CVD and ED, in order to prevent myocardial infarction, stroke or heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslipidemia is a significant threat to public health worldwide and the identification of its pathogenic mechanisms, as well as novel lipid-lowering agents, are warranted. Magnesium (Mg) is a key element to human health and its deficiency has been linked to the development of lipid abnormalities and related disorders, such as the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or cardiovascular disease. In this review, we explored the associations of Mg (dietary intake, Mg concentrations in the body) and the lipid profile, as well as the impact of Mg supplementation on serum lipids. A systematic search was computed in PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library and 3649 potentially relevant papers were detected and screened (n = 3364 following the removal of duplicates). After the removal of irrelevant manuscripts based on the screening of their titles and abstracts (n = 3037), we examined the full-texts of 327 original papers. Finally, after we applied the exclusion and inclusion criteria, a number of 124 original articles were included in this review. Overall, the data analyzed in this review point out an association of Mg concentrations in the body with serum lipids in dyslipidemia and related disorders. However, further research is warranted to clarify whether a higher intake of Mg from the diet or via supplements can influence the lipid profile and exert lipid-lowering actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite major progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, women remain an underdiagnosed and insufficiently treated group, with higher hospitalization and death rates compared to men. Obesity, more frequently encountered in women, raises the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases as women age. There are some differences based on sex regarding the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of dyslipidemia, as it has been observed that women are less frequently prescribed statins and, when they are, they receive lower doses, even after myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization. Real-life data show that, compared to men, women are at higher risk of non-adherence to statin treatment and are more predisposed to discontinue treatment because of side effects. Statin metabolism has some particularities in women, due to a lower glomerular filtration rate, higher body fat percentage, and overall faster statin metabolism. In women of fertile age, before initiating statin treatment, contraception methods should be discussed because statins may have teratogenic effects. Older women have a higher likelihood of polypharmacy, with greater potential for drug interactions when prescribing a statin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have reported age and gender disparities in the occurrence and therapeutic approach of dyslipidemia and (or) coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to investigate these differences in Romanian patients with T2DM. A cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of T2DM patients who attended the outpatient facility of the Internal Medicine Clinic of the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania for routine check-ups in a six-month period. We analyzed the records of 217 diabetic patients (mean age 69 ± 11 years; 51.15% women). We found no significant gender differences in the occurrence of dyslipidemia, CHD or CHD + dyslipidemia or in terms of statin prescription. However; patients aged 65 years or older were significantly more affected by dyslipidemia, CHD or CHD + dyslipidemia, versus subjects aged <65 years. Further, they were more likely to be prescribed statin therapy (p < 0.0001 for all). Statins were prescribed to 67.24% of the patients with dyslipidemia; 61.01% of the subjects with CHD; and to 91.48% of the patients who had both conditions. e recorded no gender differences in the occurrence of CHD and (or) dyslipidemia in Romanian T2DM patients. Patients aged 65 years or older had a higher prevalence of CHD and/or dyslipidemia, and were more likely to be prescribed statins, versus younger counterparts. However, many T2DM patients with CHD and (or) dyslipidemia were undertreated: Nearly 33% of the subjects with dyslipidemia, and nearly 40% of the ones with CHD were not prescribed statins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslipidemia constitutes a well-known factor that can lead to acute pancreatitis. Hypertrigliceridemia and hypercholesterolemia are part of dyslipidemia. In a prospecitve study, we analyzed the role of hypercholesterolemia in triggering episodes of acute pancreatitis and the capacity of cholesterol blood level to predict the severity and the evolution of acute pancreatitis. In our prospective study, a preexistent cholesterol blood level above 240 mg/dl proved to be a trigger for pancreatitis and an increasing cholesterol level in evolution predicts a pancreatitis with organ failure (moderately-severe or severe). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]