Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus - Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic disease that starts early in life and often leads to micro- and macrovascular complications. The incidence of the disease is lower than that of type 2 DM and varies in different countries and ethnic groups, and the etiological and pathogenetic factors are different from T2DM. The aim of this overview is to investigate the effect of T1DM on all-cause mortality and CVD morbidity and mortality. During the last decades, the treatment of T1DM has improved the prognosis of the patients. Still, the mortality rates are higher than those of the age- and sex-matched general population. With the prolonged survival, the macrovascular complications and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) appear as major health problems in the management of patients with T1DM. The studies on the CVD morbidity and mortality in this disease group are sparse, but they reveal that T1DM is associated with at least 30% higher mortality. In comparison to healthy people, CVDs are more common in T1DM patients and they occur earlier in life. Furthermore, they are a major cause for death and impaired quality of life in T1DM patients. The correlation between diabetic control and the duration of T1DM is not always present or is insignificant. Nevertheless, the early detection of the preclinical stages of the diseases and the risk factors for their development is important; similarly, the efforts to improve glycemic and metabolic control are of paramount importance.