Changing the Concept: From the Traditional Glucose-centric to the New Cardiorenal-metabolic Approach for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease with a constantly increasing prevalence worldwide. It is well established that T2DM affects both the macro- and microvasculature, and its presence is associated with a high risk of acute and chronic cardiovascular events. Traditionally, the management of T2DM has been mainly focused on the optimization of blood glucose levels with the use of antidiabetic medications. During recent years, however, an impressive accumulation of evidence has arisen from studies designed to explore the plausible effects of new antidiabetic drugs on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes. This review article aims to emphasize the findings of these studies and to highlight the substantial role of the newer classes of antidiabetic drugs in treating T2DM in a holistic, cardiorenal-metabolic approach, thus shifting the paradigm from the traditional, simplistic, glucose-lowering approach.
Competing Interests: Disclosures: Dimitrios G Chatzis, Konstantinos Kolokathis, Kalliopi Magounaki, Stefanos Chatzidakis, Konstantinos Avramidis, Marianna Leopoulou, Theodoros P Angelopoulos and John Doupis have no financial or non-financial relationships or activities to declare in relation to this article.
(© Touch Medical Media 2021.)