Trialogue Plus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus and hyperglycaemia are both independent risk factors (RF) for cardiovascular (CV) events and increased general and CV mortality. Type 2 diabetes, which is often associated with obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia, is accompanied by an up to fourfold increase in the incidence of acute coronary heart disease compared to normoglycaemia, even when other CV RF are equal. In the diabetic population, acute CV events are more likely to have associated cardiac complications, such as heart failure, and CV mortality is increased by twofold–fourfold. Several patients, hospitalised in medical, cardiology and intensive care departments, have undiagnosed diabetes mellitus or elevated glucose levels at the time of admission. These conditions require intensive care in the acute phase and dedicated follow-up at discharge. The Trialogue Plus project was created with the goal of providing good clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for the management of CV risk in patients with diabetes/hyperglycaemia at discharge from hospital. The aim is developing a document that defines timing, diagnostics, targets and therapeutic strategy for the management of CV risk, both in primary and in secondary prevention of patients with diabetes/hyperglycaemia who have experienced an event, involving the Diabetologist, Cardiologist, Internist, GP and area Specialists. This document concerns the implementation of existing guidelines and consensus statements, and as such, the recommendations have not been classified on the basis of scientific evidence and strength.