Diabetes mellitus worsens cardiovascular risk profile of affected individuals. Its worldwide increasing prevalence
and its negative influences on vascular walls morphology and function are able to induce the expression of several
morbidities which worsen the clinical conditions of the patients getting them running towards a reduced survival
curve.
Although overt diabetes increases the mortality rate of individuals due to its pathogenesis, poor information are in
literature about the role of pre-diabetes and family history of diabetes mellitus in the outcome of general population.
This emphasizes the importance of early detection of vascular impairment in subjects at risk of developing
diabetes.
The identification of early stages of atherosclerotic diseases in diabetic persons is a fundamental step in the risk
stratification protocols followed-up by physicians in order to have a complete overview about the clinical status of
such individuals. Common carotid intima-media thickness, flow-mediated vasodilatation, pulse wave velocity are
instrumental tools able to detect the early impairment in cardiovascular system and stratify cardiovascular risk of
individuals.
The aim of this review is to get a general perspective on the complex relationship between cardiovascular
diseases onset, pre-diabetes and family history of diabetes. Furthermore, it points out the influence of diabetes on
heart function till the expression of the so-called diabetic cardiomyopathy
