Risk of death is approximately twice higher in people with diabetes than in those without, mainly though not exclusively due to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1]. However, death rates, both absolute and relative to non-diabetic individuals, have decreased over time during the last decades [2-5], a phenomenon attributed to improved control of CVD risk factors including not only hyperglycaemia, but also dyslipidaemia and hypertension clustering with impaired glucose metabolism in the context of the metabolic syndrome, especially in people with type 2 diabetes [6].
