Exploring the shared genetic landscape of diabetes and cardiovascular disease: findings and future implications – published online 15/03/2025

Hyunsuk Lee, Maria Fernandes, Jeongeun Lee, Jordi Merino & Soo Heon Kwak

Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for CVD, with shared genetic and environmental influences exacerbating their intertwined pathophysiology. In this issue, Lee and Fernandes et al (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-025-06403-9) review the latest genetic insights into the link between type 2 diabetes and CVD. While initial studies identified a limited number of shared genetic loci between type 2 diabetes and CVD, recent advances in statistical methods and the use of larger, more diverse study populations are uncovering a growing number of overlapping genetic loci and pathways. The authors highlight how type 2 diabetes subtyping approaches, particularly within causal inference study designs, have been instrumental in identifying distinct disease subtypes with increased CVD risk due to specific underlying mechanisms. They conclude by highlighting key research gaps and future directions in the field. The figures from this review are available as a downloadable slideset.

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