Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) than those without type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease with severe complications and is a growing health issue in Europe and Sweden as well as in other parts of the world. The prevalence of diabetes in Sweden, mainly type 2, is about 4.5%. Diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension and obesity are well-known major and independent cardiovascular risk factors. A meta-analysis of 21 prospective cohort studies showed that persons with the metabolic syndrome have a 61% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than individuals without the metabolic syndrome. In general, immigrants from the Middle East perceived their general health as poorer than persons in the native population in Western countries. According to an Irish  and a Danish study, immigrants from the Middle East have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, higher risk of diabetic complications and with worse glycemic control than native patients. A recently published review of 17 articles on diabetes in Nordic countries concluded that immigrant groups had up to ten times higher risk than the non-immigrant populations; excess risk was particularly striking high in immigrants from the Middle East and South Asian regions.