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Australian Prescriber Vol. 22 No. 3 1999

Hyperlipidaemia in diabetes

Diabetes affects the way the body controls blood sugar. It also affects the amount of fat and cholesterol in the blood. Too much fat and cholesterol can cause hardening of the arteries. This may explain why there is more heart disease in people with diabetes.

To reduce the risk of heart disease, they need to reduce the amount of fat in their diet and take regular exercise. High blood pressure must be well controlled and patients must not smoke. If weight can be lost and the blood sugar is kept under control, the amount of fat in the blood will reduce. Some patients, especially those who already have heart disease, will benefit by taking medicines to lower the amount of cholesterol and fat in the blood.