Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a serious health hazard all around the world and accounts for 90% to 95% of all diagnosed diabetes cases. It can be complicated with microvascular and macrovascular side effects such as coronary artery disease, stroke, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Although the majority of these complications have a multifactorial pathophysiology related to hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance, the pathogenesis of vascular complications seems to be beyond hyperglycemia and glycated proteins. Thus, a drug with additional benefits other than glycemic control might be effective in reducing diabetic complications, especially the cardiovascular ones. Metformin (dimethylbiguanide) is currently the most commonly prescribed oral antihyperglycemic agent in the world that primarily reduces blood glucose level and prevents insulin resistance. Recently, much attention has been paid to various advantages of metformin above other oral hypoglycemic drugs. Metformin is an effective oral antidiabetic drug, which increases liver and peripheral tissue sensitivity to insulin as well as reducing hepatic glucose production. It has multiple beneficial effects including reduction of atherogenic consequences of insulin resistance and antiplatelet aggregation effects. Metformin also reduces the rate of formation of advanced glycation end products. Numerous studies have shown favorable effects of metformin on lipid profile including modest improvement in the level of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride and little or no change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. 1,2 It is associated with redistribution of fat from viscera and reduced central obesity and body weight. 3
Authors: Farrokhlagha Ahmadi, Azin Mohebi-Nejad
Institution: Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Nephrology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2148637270