Section 10. Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Management
(https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-S010)
Recommendation 10.1 was revised with updated definitions of hypertension. These recommendations align with the current definition of hypertension according to the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association.
Recommendation 10.4 on blood pressure treatment goals in individuals with diabetes was revised to target a blood pressure of <130/80 mmHg. The discussion of the evidence to support this recommendation was extensively revised. In addition, the recently reported results of the STEP (Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients) trial were added. Recommendation 10.7 was updated to consider pharmacological treatment in people with diabetes and a confirmed blood pressure ≥130/80. Table 10.1 and Fig. 10.2 were updated accordingly.
In the subsection “Pregnancy and Antihypertensive Medications,” the results of the CHAP (Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy) trial were included to further support the current treatment goal recommendations in pregnant individuals with diabetes.
Recommendation 10.20 was revised to recommend the use of high-intensity statin therapy in individuals with diabetes aged 40–75 years at higher risk, including those with one or more atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors, to reduce the LDL cholesterol by ≥50% of baseline and to target an LDL cholesterol goal of <70 mg/dL.
Recommendation 10.21 was added to consider adding treatment with ezetimibe or a PCSK9 inhibitor to maximum tolerated statin therapy in these individuals.
Recommendations 10.22 and 10.23 were added to recommend continuing statin therapy in adults with diabetes aged >75 years currently receiving statin therapy and to recommend that it may be reasonable to initiate moderateintensity statin therapy in adults with diabetes aged >75 years, respectively.
Recommendation 10.26 was updated to recommend treatment with highintensity statin therapy in individuals with diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to target an LDL cholesterol reduction of ≥50% from baseline and an LDL cholesterol goal of <55 mg/dL. If this goal is not achieved on maximum tolerated statin therapy, the addition of ezetimibe or a PCSK9 inhibitor is now recommended.
Language regarding evidence in the section “Statin Treatment” was revised to consider the evidence supporting lower LDL cholesterol goals in people with diabetes with and without established cardiovascular disease.
In the subsection “Combination Therapy for LDL Cholesterol Lowering” a paragraph was added to include inclisiran, an siRNA directed against PCSK9, as a new FDAapproved cholesterol-lowering therapy.
Recommendation 10.42b was added to recommend treatment with a sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor in individuals with type 2 diabetes and established heart failure with either preserved or reduced ejection fraction to improve symptoms, physical limitations, and quality of life. The discussion of evidence to support this new recommendation was included in the last paragraph of the section “Glucose-Lowering Therapies and Heart Failure.”
Recommendation 10.43 was added to recommend the addition of finerenone in the treatment of individuals with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease with albuminuria treated with maximum tolerated doses of ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker.
This section is endorsed for the fifth consecutive year by the American College of Cardiology.