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Item
#15
Few
Diabetics Understand Link to Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke
A
survey released Tuesday shows that very few diabetics understand
they have a very high risk for stroke and heart disease.
The
glaring lack of knowledge could result in many preventable deaths,
said Tommy Thompson, secretary of the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS). Thompson and officials from the American
College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Diabetes Association
(ADA) presented the survey results at a press briefing at HHS, and
called on the media, physicians, and the public to do more to
increase awareness that diabetics are much more likely to develop
cardiovascular disease.
Thompson
said that getting more diabetics to understand their risk for
heart disease and stroke "is very personal to me because my
father had diabetes, was overweight and died of a heart attack at
an early age."
In
the survey of 2,008 people with diabetes, 68% said they do not
consider cardiovascular disease to be a serious complication of
diabetes. In reality, two thirds of deaths in people with diabetes
are due to cardiovascular disease, said Christopher Saudek,
president of the ADA, which commissioned the survey in partnership
with the ACC.
Awareness
of the link was lowest among the elderly and Hispanics, two groups
at higher risk for diabetes. Also, 60% of those surveyed said they
did not feel that they were at high risk for high blood pressure
or elevated cholesterol. Saudek said that, ironically, as many of
60% of diabetics have hypertension, and almost all have one or
more cholesterol abnormality.
"There
is a serious knowledge gap between the facts and the perceptions
in diabetes," said Saudek.
He
and Thompson said they were alarmed at the survey results, because
the prevalence of diabetes is increasing. "More people with
diabetes are dying of cardiovascular disease than ever
before," he said.
Thompson
said he intended to use his "bully pulpit," to encourage
more Americans to watch their weight and exercise more, and added
that he would encourage employers to do the same.
"I
want the Department to go on a diet," said Thompson, noting
that he was making the request since he was already dieting, but
added, "I'm not having as much luck as I'd like."
Thompson
said he would also be promoting the "ABCs of Diabetes"
campaign developed by HHS' National Diabetes Education Program.
Under that plan, diabetics are urged to track and monitor their
hemoglobin A1C levels, their blood pressure, and their
cholesterol.
The
ACC and ADA are also promoting a campaign called Make the Link to
educate diabetics on decreasing their cardiovascular disease
risks, and to provide information to physicians. The information
can be found at www.diabetes.org/makethelink.
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Fact:
For
every one-percentage point drop in the Hemoglobin A1c diabetes
complication rates drop by more than 25%.
Source: Diabetes 2001: Vital Stats.
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