Type 2 Diabetes - Heart And Blood Vessel Disease In Diabetes!

Heart and blood vessel disease are some of the most dreaded complications people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have to face. It has been found people with diabetes suffer twice as many heart attacks and strokes as anyone without diabetes. Type 2 diabetics usually have high cholesterol levels, which lead to clogged arteries and lack of circulation to the heart muscle and the brain.

In January 2012, the journal Cardiovascular Diabetology reported on the results of a study of the diabetes drug, linagliptin (Tradjenta and Trajenta), and its possible protective effect on the heart and blood vessels.

A total of 5239 volunteers diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were included in the study. A group that included:

3319 diabetics received liniagliptin, and the remaining1920 diabetics received the drugs glimepiride (Amaryl) or voglibose (Volix).

Eleven volunteers, or 0.3 per cent, of those receiving linagliptin showed signs and symptoms of heart and blood vessel diseases. Twenty-three, or 1.2 per cent, of the diabetics taking other medications, were treated for conditions involving the heart and blood vessels. The diabetic volunteers taking linagliptin had an almost two-thirds lower risk of heart and blood vessel disease as those taking other medications.
From these results, the researchers concluded linagliptin (Tradjenta and Trajenta) could have benefits for keeping the heart and blood vessels healthy in Type 2 diabetics.

Linagliptin was approved by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the Spring of 2011 and is marketed by the proprietary name Trajenta. It belongs to the class of medications called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. The class also includes sitagliptin, vildagliptin, saxagliptin, dutogliptin, gemigliptin, and alogliptin.

Sitagliptin was approved by the FDA in 2006 and is also known as Januvia.Vildagliptin was FDA-approved in 2008, and has the proprietary name Galvus.Saxaglipin received its FDA approval in 2009 and is marketed as Onyglyza.Dutogliptin and Gemigliptin are still under study.

DPP-4 inhibitors work by increasing incretin, which in turn causes less glucagon to be released from the pancreas. When glucagon is suppressed, more insulin is released, the stomach empties more slowly, and carbohydrate is absorbed more slowly, all of which lowers blood sugar levels.

Linagliptin is taken once a day with or without food. It can be taken alone or along with drugs such as metformin, sulphoylureas or pioglitazone. Side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat and inflammation of the pancreas, or low blood sugar when used with sulfonylureas.

Many medications are available for lowering blood sugar levels. If linagliptin can also prevent heart attacks then it can serve an important dual purpose.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments