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A Call to Action for People With Diabetes: Take Steps to Lower Your Risk for Heart Disease

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 November 2006, 12:00 CST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- People with diabetes must closely manage their blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, or face a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, say three leading health organizations. Research has shown that two out of three people with diabetes die from a heart attack or stroke, making cardiovascular disease the number one killer of people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) are collaborating during November -- American Diabetes Month -- to emphasize the critical link between diabetes and related cardiovascular complications.

In particular, tight control of blood glucose can significantly reduce the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke in people with diabetes, according to data from a study commissioned by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study was a follow-up to NIH's Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) on people with type 1 diabetes, conducted from 1983 to 1989. Results from the EDIC study showed that intensive control of blood glucose in patients with diabetes reduced the risk of heart attacks and stroke by more than 50 percent. Experts agree that this finding adds to a strong and growing body of evidence that everyone with diabetes -- whether it is type 1 or type 2 diabetes -- gains from blood glucose control.

Unfortunately, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that fewer than 50 percent of Americans with diabetes are reaching the level of glucose control recommended by the ADA, which is an A1C level of less than seven percent. This alarming trend contributes to the disproportionate number of people with diabetes who experience cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke.

"For most people with diabetes, keeping blood glucose under tight control isn't easy -- but the benefits of control are indisputable," said John Buse, MD, PhD, President-Elect, Medicine & Science, of the American Diabetes Association. "Controlling blood glucose, along with blood pressure and cholesterol, can help save not only a person's heart, eyesight and limbs, but a person's life. It's what we call the ABCs of diabetes."

In addition to tight blood glucose control, people with diabetes need to manage other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 73 percent of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure and most have cholesterol levels that put them at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

"It is clear that we all need to work harder to help people with diabetes manage their ABCs," said Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P., Acting Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. "The truly amazing news from the EDIC study is that more than a decade after they left the DCCT and returned to the care of their own doctors, participants are still benefiting from the relatively brief period of intense blood glucose control they had during the study, and they continue to have significantly lower risks for cardiovascular disease, as well as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy."

Together, ADA, ACC and NDEP are urging patients to talk with their health care providers about managing the "ABCs of Diabetes." For most people with diabetes the goals are:

* A1C (measures average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months): less than 7 percent. Check at least twice a year. * Blood pressure: below 130/80. Check at every doctor's visit. * Cholesterol (LDL): below 100. Check at least once a year.

The groups offer the following advice to help manage blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol: make wise food choices, engage in daily physical activity and take prescribed medications. People with diabetes should also avoid smoking and consult their health providers about taking aspirin.

ADA and ACC have developed a diabetes survival guide called "Choose to Live" to give people with diabetes information they need to help reduce diabetes-related complications such as heart disease and stroke. Contact the ADA at 1-800-DIABETES or visit http://www.diabetes.org/ for a free copy. NDEP promotes its Control Your Diabetes. For Life. campaign, which offers materials with ideas for sticking to a healthy eating plan, ways to stay active with regular physical activity, and other tips for feeling better and staying healthy. Contact NDEP at http://www.ndep.nih.gov/ or at 1-800-438-5383. Educational materials are available in English, Spanish and 15 Asian and Pacific Islander languages.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to hundreds of communities.

The American College of Cardiology, a 34,000-member nonprofit professional medical society and teaching institution, is the leading organization dedicated to advocating for quality cardiovascular care.

The National Diabetes Education Program, the leading federal government source of information about diabetes prevention and control, is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 200 public and private partners.

American Diabetes Association

CONTACT: Diane Tuncer of American Diabetes Association, +1-703-299-5510;or Amanda Jekowsky of American College of Cardiology, +1-202-375-6645

Web site: http://www.diabetes.org/http://www.ndep.nih.gov/

Source: PRNewswire

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