Effects of fenofibrate treatment on cardiovascular disease risk in 9,795 individuals with type 2 diabetes and various components of the metabolic syndrome: the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study.

Description

The objective of this additional analysis of the FIELD study was to explore whether cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and the effects of fenofibrate were different according to the presence/absence of the metabolic syndrome and of its features in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the FIELD study sample, more than 80% of patients met the clinical criteria for the metabolic syndrome. Patients characterized by a marked dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol) had the highest risk of CVD (17.8% over 5 years). Fenofibrate had the greatest impact on reducing CVD event rates also in patients with a marked dyslipidemia (relative risk reduction: 27%, 95% CI: 9-42, p=0.005). These results suggest that fenofibrate’s effects are the greatest among patients with type 2 diabetes who also have the features of the metabolic syndrome.