Diabetic dyslipidaemia: past, present and future

Prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetes remains a major challenge for both physicians and patients. Diabetic dyslipidaemia is a major risk factor for CVD and is open to therapeutic intervention. Information now available from randomised, controlled, clinical trials (principally with statins) confirms highly significant benefits in terms of CVD reduction for diabetic patients with and without symptomatic CVD. This evidence base has moved treatment of dyslipidaemia to centre stage in CVD prevention. Important European and American guidelines point to the high CVD risk in type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes with albuminuria and advocate aggressive lipid management for primary as well as secondary CVD prevention. Currently there is evidence of sub‐optimal uptake of appropriate lipid‐lowering therapy and guidelines need to be fully implemented in clinical practice for the benefit of individual patients. In the future it is likely that more combination therapy will be used to treat diabetic dyslipidaemia in order to achieve better overall lipid control. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.