Baseline characteristics in the Collaborative AtoRvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS) in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Thomason MJ， Colhoun HM， Livingstone SJ， Mackness MI， Betteridge DJ， Durrington PN， Hitman GA， Neil HA， Fuller JH; CARDS Investigators. EURODIAB， Department of Epidemiology and Public Health， Royal Free and University College Medical School， London， UK. m.thomason@ucl.ac.uk

AIM: To describe baseline characteristics of patients in the Collaborative AtoRvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS)， a randomized， placebo-controlled trial of lipid lowering with atorvastatin 10 mg daily for the primary prevention of major cardiovascular events in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

METHODS: The main eligibility criteria were Type 2 diabetes， age 40-75 years， no previous history of coronary heart disease， stroke or other major cardiovascular events， a documented history of at least one of retinopathy， micro- or macroalbuminuria， hypertension or current smoking， LDL-cholesterol < or = 4.14 mmol/l and triglycerides < or = 6.78 mmol/l.

RESULTS: Randomization of 2838 persons (909 women) into CARDS was completed in June 2001. At entry， mean age was 62 years， 12% were over 70 years old and median duration of diabetes was 6 years. Median fasting lipid levels were total cholesterol 5.4 mmol/l， LDL-cholesterol 3.1 mmol/l， HDL-cholesterol 1.4 mmol/l and triglyceride 1.7 mmol/l. There was a documented history of retinopathy in 30% of patients， micro/macroalbuminuria in 11% (additionally 17% had micro/macroalbuminuria based on two elevated pretreatment measurements of albumin-creatinine ratios)， hypertension in 79% and 23% were current smokers.

CONCLUSION: CARDS will contribute importantly to the evidence for the macrovascular and microvascular benefits of lipid lowering with atorvastatin in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The results are likely to have important implications for the management of patients. http://www.cardstrial.com