The independent effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus on ischemic heart disease, stroke, and death: a population-based study of 13,000 men and women with 20 years of follow-up.

Epidemiological studies have reported that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) have increased mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular diseases, independent of other risk factors. However, most of these studies have been performed in selected patient groups. The purpose of the present study was prospectively to assess the impact of type 2 DM on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in an unselected population.