Key Point:  Coronary artery disease (CAD) was significantly associated with increased concentrations of LDL-C, decreased concentrations of HDL-C, increased triglyceride concentration, hemoglobin A1C, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose concentration and a history of smoking.  

CAD is a major cause of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes                                     

Patients without evidence of disease related to atheroma at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes had an increased standardized mortality ratio compared with the population of the United Kingdom  

The potentially modifiable risk factors for CAD were increased concentrations of LDL-C, decreased concentrations of HDL-C, increased triglyceride concentration, hemoglobin A1C, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose concentration and a history of smoking  

In other studies, obesity and central obesity, decreased physical activity and raised insulin concentrations provide an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. But in this trial, patients with type 2 diabetes, the authors found that none of these were major risk factors in this cohort of patients     

Reference

Turner RC et al.  Risk Factors for the coronary artery disease in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus:  United Kingdom prospective diabetes study (UKPDS:23).  BMJ. 1998;316:823-828.