Flat lay image of healthcare essentials including a blood pressure monitor, pills, and eyeglasses on a white surface.
Yaroslav Shuraev (Pexels) / Pexels License
Causes & What We Know/September 21, 2026/2 min read

Type 1 diabetes and cardiovascular medicine.

There are an estimated 9.5 million people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) globally, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remaining a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite advances in care.

PubMed indexed literature

Evidence label explains the kind of source behind this article (for example peer-reviewed literature vs community video). It is not medical advice.

causesautoimmunitygeneticsrisk

Key takeaways

  • There are an estimated 9.5 million people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) globally, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remaining a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite advances in care.
  • Atherosclerosis occurs earlier in people with T1D and those with T1D-onset in early childhood are at particularly high lifetime risk of CVD.
  • Multiple traditional risk factors (e.g., glycaemia, lipids, blood pressure, obesity and smoking) and novel risk factors (e.g., social determinants of health, inflammation and genetics) can promote CVD in people with T1D.

What the research looked at

There are an estimated 9.5 million people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) globally, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remaining a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite advances in care.

Atherosclerosis occurs earlier in people with T1D and those with T1D-onset in early childhood are at particularly high lifetime risk of CVD.

Multiple traditional risk factors (e.g., glycaemia, lipids, blood pressure, obesity and smoking) and novel risk factors (e.g., social determinants of health, inflammation and genetics) can promote CVD in people with T1D.

This highlights the need for a life-course approach to managing overall cardiovascular risk and preventing or mitigating end-stage complications such as atherosclerotic events, cardiac autonomic neuropathy and heart failure.

However, most people with T1D do not meet all recommended risk factor targets.

What it reported

Whilst T1D-specific risk calculators for CVD are available to guide shared decision-making and risk factor management, greater awareness and further data are needed to inform their use in different T1D populations.

However, there remains a relative paucity of T1D-specific clinical trial data to inform the management and therapies for CVD risk factors such as dyslipidaemia, hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and for clinically evident CVD.

There is now increasing interest in the use of adjunct glucose-lowering drugs initially developed for use in type 2 diabetes, such as sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and whilst some weight, glycaemia, blood pressure and albuminuria benefits have been shown, cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOT) in T1D are currently lacking.

This review by a multidisciplinary team provides an overview of CVD pathophysiology, risk factor care, risk…

What it means for the Type 1 community

This is pubmed indexed literature and is shared for information, not as medical advice. One study is a data point, not a verdict, so read it alongside the broader body of evidence and your own care team's guidance.

Evidence label

Source: Cardiovascular diabetology. Endocrinology reports. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.

Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.

More evidence-labeled coverage across the Type1Cure library.