Rome, Italy, hosted this year's European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Congress, 7-11 September 2008. This international congress provided an exciting opportunity for Bayer Schering Pharma (BSP) and Bayer Diabetes Care (DC) to join forces, symbolising Bayer HealthCare's dedication to "Connecting Innovative Strategies in Diabetes Management" - the theme of the interactive product exhibition booth. Delegates were welcomed to the booth to learn about the important link between management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) through graphic panels and by taking part in a moderated quiz demonstrating the effectiveness of the Contour meter and acarbose (Glucobay).

BSP's opening activity, held on the first day of the congress, was a symposium entitled "Hyperglycaemia and hypertension – revisiting the challenges in CVD management". More than 150 delegates attended the symposium, chaired by the diabetologist Ryuzo Kawamori (Japan), and new President of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Roberto Ferrari (Italy). Presentations from Guido Grassi (Italy), Alejandro de la Sierra (Spain), Antonio Ceriello (UK), Eberhard Standl (Germany), Markolf Hanefeld (Germany) and Rury Holman (UK) included some of the challenges in managing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, focusing on the benefits of acarbose and telmisartan (Pritor/Kinzal) for hypertension management and cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction in the cardiometabolic patient.

The close link between the components of metabolic syndrome and CVD were demonstrated, highlighting the importance of integrated strategies for managing risk factors to prevent CVD. Hypertension is the most common component of metabolic syndrome and telmisartan, a cardiometabolic angiotensin-receptor blocker, has particular benefits in hypertensive patients with diabetes. The unique qualities of acarbose for glycaemic control were illustrated, including the clear benefit of acarbose to reduce the progression to type 2 diabetes in individuals with prediabetes and metabolic syndrome, demonstrated in a STOP-NIDDM subgroup analysis.

Postprandial hyperglycaemia (PPHG) is thought to effect the development of hypertension, diabetes and CVD, and the importance of targeting PPHG and integrating management with CVD is highlighted in current guidelines. This includes the new AACE consensus on management of prediabetes which recommends the use of acarbose in prediabetes patients at increased risk, and the first guidelines to jointly address CVD and prediabetes/diabetes published by the ESC/EASD in 2007. The ACE trial is hoped to confirm the link between reducing PPHG with acarbose and CV risk prevention in prediabetes, and provide insight into the impact of acarbose, in addition to "best care", on the risk of new CV events in individuals with existing CVD and prediabetes.