Atherosclerotic plaque burdens in type 2 diabetes

In this issue of the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, Huang et al. have reported the detection of coronary artery disease with electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT), utilizing non-contrast and contrast imaging techniques (EBCTA) in several subgroups including type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), coronary heart disease, and normal subjects. Interestingly, non-contrast imaging by measurement of the coronary artery calcium score (CAC) did not show any differences among the groups. However, the presence of coronary calcification and/or coronary stenotic lesions detected by contrast coronary angiography with EBCTA was found more frequently in type 2 DM, IGT, and coronary artery disease patients than in healthy subjects. The authors concluded that combined information on either CAC or luminal assessment with EBCTA should be considered for assessment of atherosclerosis in type 2 DM patients.