ABSTRACT. Diabetes is nothing short of a pandemy, with an increasing prevalence and incidence in all the countries either poor or prosperous. Epidemiological data are quite alarming as the diabetic population is expected to be over 360 million people in 2030. On the other hand, cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death in diabetic patients. Under such circumstances we will review literature data on the characteristics of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients: prevalence and morbidity/mortality, risk factors, mechanisms and evolution, clinical manifestations and treatment. As Romania fits into the upward trend of incidence of diabetes we will also describe the particularities of the coronary artery disease in diabetic patients. With a view to this target we have made a case-control study that comparatively analyzes the multiple aspects of the coronary heart disease in diabetic patients, demonstrating the existence of statistically significant differences between certain risk factors, laboratory parameters, echocardiography and coronarographic data in diabetic patients compared with those without diabetes. pp. 238–260

Keywords: cardiovascular protocols, therapeutic targets, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus