Dysglycemia, in this survey defined as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or type 2 diabetes, is common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated with an unfavorable prognosis. This European survey investigated dysglycemia screening and risk factor management of patients with CAD in relation to standards of European guidelines for cardiovascular subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The European Society of Cardiology's European Observational Research Programme (ESC EORP) European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE) V (2016-2017) included 8,261 CAD patients, aged 18-80 years, from 27 countries. If the glycemic state was unknown, patients underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and measurement of glycated hemoglobin A 1c. Lifestyle, risk factors, and pharmacological management were investigated. RESULTS A total of 2,452 patients (29.7%) had known diabetes. OGTT was performed in 4,440 patients with unknown glycemic state, of whom 41.1% were dysglycemic. Without the OGTT, 30% of patients with type 2 diabetes and 70% of those with IGT would not have been detected. The presence of dysglycemia almost doubled from that selfreported to the true proportion after screening. Only approximately one-third of all coronary patients had completely normal glucose metabolism. Of patients with known diabetes, 31% had been advised to attend a diabetes clinic, and only 24% attended. Only 58% of dysglycemic patients were prescribed all cardioprotective drugs, and use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (3%) or glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (1%) was small. CONCLUSIONS Urgent action is required for both screening and management of patients with CAD and dysglycemia, in the expectation of a substantial reduction in risk of further cardiovascular events and in complications of diabetes, as well as longer life expectancy.

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Chronic systemic inflammation is a key component of the pathogenesis of both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‑1 (sVCAM‑1) is considered as the indicator of vascular inflammation and endothelial activation. The aim of our study was to investigate sVCAM‑1 levels in patients with CAD with T2DM and to determine their dependence on a previous history of myocardial infarction (MI). The study included 52 patients with stable CAD with T2DM, 20 CAD patients without diabetes and 14 control group persons. sVCAM-1 levels were measured in serum by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. sVCAM‑1 levels in patients with CAD with T2DM and patients with CAD without diabetes were higher than in the control group (p<0,001 and p<0,001, respectively). The difference in sVCAM‑1 levels between CAD patients with T2DM and without diabetes was not significant (p=0,355). There were no significant correlations of sVCAM‑1 levels with glucometabolic indices in any group. Only in patients with CAD with T2DM sVCAM‑1 level negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CAD patients with and without T2DM with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) had higher sVCAM‑1 levels than patients without previous MI (p=0,038, р=0,043, respectively). Only in diabetic CAD patients sVCAM‑1 levels were increased in those without a history of MI (р=0,036, in comparison with the controls). There were no correlations between sVCAM‑1 levels and left ventricular remodeling indices in patients either with or without MI. Conclusions. In patients with CAD with T2DM and patients with CAD without T2DM, sVCAM‑1 levels increased in comparison with the controls. However, in patients without diabetes sVCAM‑1 level was increased only in those with previous MI. In patients with T2DM, sVCAM‑1 level increased in the absence of previous MI and there was the further significant increase of its level in postinfarction cardiosclerosis.

The article provides an assessment of cardiovascular risks associated with episodes of hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes mellitus. The analysis has been performed for the experimental and clinical data on cardiac arrhythmias during induced hypoglycemia in animal models and in patients with diabetes. The pathogenetic mechanisms of the development of life‑threatening heart rhythm disorders during hypoglycemic states (in particular, changes in autonomic nervous system activation and in the serum level of potassium) have been considered. The nature of electrocardiographic changes preceding the development of arrhythmias during hypoglycemia is described and factors affecting QT interval duration during hypoglycemia are given. The authors highlight the results of clinical studies of spontaneous hypoglycemia in terms of the arrhythmias’ specific features in daytime and nocturnal hypoglycemia, and different mechanisms of the cardiac arrhythmias’ development at different periods of the day. Clinical data have been presented as regards the drug‑induced hypoglycemia during administration beta‑adrenergic receptor blockers, angiotensin‑converting enzyme inhibitors, fluoroquinolones, as well as mechanisms of dysglycemic effects of these drugs. It has been noted that β‑blockers can mask symptoms of catecholamine‑mediated hypoglycemia. It has been established that among hypoglycemic agents, insulin secretion stimulators (sulfonylureas, meglinides) and insulin have the highest risk of serious hypoglycemia. However, the use of basal and prandial insulin analogues was associated with a lower frequency of hypoglycemia compared to human insulin. It was emphasized that hypoglycemia should be avoided in clinical practice to improve prognosis and prevent arrhythmias. For this, it is necessary to individualize target glycemic values with their mitigation in high‑risk patients, to use the safest insulin and non‑insulin hypoglycemic agents, and to implement new technologies (pumps, continuous glucose monitoring) more widely. It is extremely important to take into account comorbidity and the effects on hypoglycemia risk of drugs used for the treatment of concomitant diseases.