Good cholesterol control improves cardiovascular outcomes in diabetes patients: JACC

Canada: Lower LDL cholesterol in the first year after coronary revascularization in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients is associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes in the long run, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) increases the risk of cardiovascular events, especially in population at high-risk such as patients with diabetes. The study by Michael E. Farkouh, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues aimed to determine the effect of LDL-C  on the incidence of cardiovascular events either following a coronary revascularization procedure (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]) or optimal medical therapy alone in patients with T2D and coronary heart disease. 

For the purpose, the researchers undertook patient-level pooled analysis of 3 randomized clinical trials. T2D patients were categorized according to LDL-C levels at 1 year following randomization. A total of 4,050 patients were followed for a median of 3.9 years after the index 1-year assessment.

The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events ([MACCE] the composite of all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke).