People Don’t Die From Diabetes, But from Cardiovascular Disease

Heart disease and stroke account for about 65 percent of deaths in people with diabetes More than 20 million adults in the United States are living with diabetes and are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But there are steps that they can take to reduce the complications associated with these two diseases. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) has launched Control Your Diabetes. For Life., a national campaign that will reach out through a network of 200 partners to health care professionals and their patients to emphasize the importance of comprehensive control of diabetes and CVD. The NDEP is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public awareness of the link between diabetes and CVD is low, and many people with diabetes do not understand all they can do to manage their disease and reduce their risk for complications, including heart attack and stroke. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about two to four times higher than adults without diabetes, and the risk for stroke is also two to four times higher among people with diabetes. Control Your Diabetes For Life campaign messages and materials help people with diabetes understand the importance of controlling their ABCs — as measured by the A1C test, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol. People with diabetes need to ask their health care team what their ABC numbers are, what they should be, and how to reach their goal numbers.

Free educational materials include: 4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes. For Life., a brochure to help people with diabetes manage their disease; Take Care of Your Heart. Manage Your Diabetes, a tip sheet about the link between diabetes and heart disease and tips on how to manage the ABCs of diabetes; Guiding Principles for Diabetes Care, a guide to help health care professionals learn more about essential components of diabetes care; Diabetes Numbers At-a-Glance, a handy laminated pocket guide with a list of current recommendations for health care professionals to diagnose and manage diabetes; and other free resources for people with diabetes, their families, and health care professionals.

Control Your Diabetes. For Life. campaign messages and materials are tailored to groups at high risk for the disease. For more information about the link between diabetes and heart disease or the Control Your Diabetes. For Life. campaign, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337).

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DID YOU KNOW:
394 New Drugs for diabetes are in development pipeline.
With 394 candidates in development in 2006, (344 in 2005), diabetes is second only to cancer in R&D focus. This is not surprising given the rising prevalence of T2D and the insufficiency of even combination therapy, on which approximately 36% of T2D patients in the US currently achieve target HbA1c levels. Existing drugs lose their effectiveness over time, and side effects limit compliance.  Beyond the GLP1 analogues and DPP4 inhibitors, the diabetes pipeline includes compounds targeting sodium–glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2); hydroxysteroid (11-) dehydrogenase 1 (11BHSD1); G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs); and glucokinase. Dapagliflozin, which inhibits the SGLT2 channel, is now in Phase III testing. Despite the failures of dual PPAR/ agonists and challenges faced by the TZDs, PPAR targeting continues to attract substantial interest. In development are partial agonists of PPAR designed to retain potent antiglycemic activity without the liabilities of full agonists, as well as selective PPAR/ modulators that may have favorable effects on atherogenic lipids. Broadly, there is heightened interest in developing therapies that not only improve glycemic control but also address the micro and macrovascular complications that are associated with hyperglycemia.

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