Early insulin treatment to prevent cardiovascular disease in prediabetes and overt diabetes

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CVD represents the leading cause of death in people with type 2 DM. The cardiovascular risk is increased long before diabetes is diagnosed, in the prediabetes stage, when impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) develop. These stages are characterized by dysglycemia, defined as any elevated fasting or postprandial glycemia, extending from the normal range into diabetic range, associated with an increased risk of CVD. Due to metabolic memory demonstrated for type 2 DM as well, early interventions addressed to achieve and maintain glycemic control are required for long-term benefits in terms of both microvascular and macrovascular complications. The recommendation of early insulin therapy in type 2 DM is sustained by its pleiotropic effects, which may be cardioprotective and potentially anti-atherosclerotic. Insulin therapy in prediabetes and earlier in type 2 DM, could be a strategy in preventing cardiovascular disease and type 2 DM progression. To test this hypothesis, a large trial has been designed. Outcome Reduction with an Initial Glargine Intervention trial (ORIGIN) is an international, multicenter, randomized controlled, 2 x 2 factorial trial, investigating the possibility to prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in people with type 2 DM, IGT, and/or IFG, and high cardiovascular risk by treating the normoglycemia with either insulin glargine or omega-3 fatty acid, compared to the standard intervention.