FOR RELEASE:4 p.m. EDT, MondayMay 21, 2001
CONTACT: Darlene Yblood (214) 706-1649Tim Elsner (214) 706-1340
American Heart Association survey report:Diabetes patients in dark concerning heart disease
DALLAS, May 22 -- Heart disease is the leading complication and cause of death among diabetes patients, yet many of them do not understand the risk or its cause.
According to a survey released today by the American Heart Association, 63 percent of diabetes patients experience cardiovascular disease, yet only 33 percent consider heart conditions to be among the "most serious" diabetes-related complications.
Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or suffer a stroke than adults without diabetes. A key contributor to this increased risk, and a powerful predictor of type 2 diabetes, is the presence of insulin resistance, a condition where the body cannot use the insulin it produces effectively. Insulin resistance is associated with blood lipid imbalances, such as an increased ratio of small low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol), low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol), and increased levels of triglycerides, which cause atherosclerosis.
"Research from the past few years has helped us to better understand the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and the role insulin resistance plays in both. The American Heart Association considers diabetes one of the other major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, diabetes patients still tend to treat heart disease as a separate concern," says Sidney C. Smith Jr., M.D., Chief Science Officer for the American Heart Association.
Additionally, the survey found that only 53 percent of patients ate the recommended number of fruits and vegetables and only one-third reported exercising on a regular basis, with many patients not monitoring their body weight regularly. "Exercising, maintaining a healthy diet and controlling body weight can help prevent and control not just cardiovascular disease but diabetes as well," says Smith.
The survey was conducted by Roper/Starch Worldwide in December 2000 for Partners Against Insulin Resistance. Partners Against Insulin Resistance (PAIR), an educational program underwritten by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company, is an initiative led by a multi-disciplinary group of healthcare experts whose goal is to further the understanding of insulin resistance and its role in diabetes and related complications. The survey of 532 people with type 2 diabetes revealed that only about half (52 percent) of respondents were familiar with the term "insulin resistance." Of the patients polled, just over half (57 percent) were aware that insulin resistance is associated with heart disease.
"There is a great disconnect between perception and reality when it comes to understanding diabetes and insulin resistance and their related complications," says Smith. The survey also revealed the following:
-- 63 percent of diabetes patients experience one or more cardiovascular problems. Specifically, 46 percent have high blood pressure or hypertension; 28 percent have blood circulation problems; and 19 percent have other heart conditions.
-- 28 percent of patients reported having high cholesterol.
-- A total of 83 percent of patients incorrectly defined insulin resistance.
-- 43 percent of patients who take diabetic drugs in the glitazone class (oral anti-diabetic agents that directly target insulin resistance) did not know whether their current medication treated insulin resistance; 33 percent of glitazone users also responded that they had never heard the term "insulin resistance."
-- According to body mass index calculations, 33 percent of type 2 diabetes patients are overweight, while nearly half are classified as obese or morbidly obese.
"The good news is, insulin resistance is treatable. The bad news is, few patients know about it. The goal is to increase awareness by reaching out to patients, their families and the medical community," says David Kendall, M.D., co-chair of the Partners Against Insulin Resistance Advisory Panel and medical director of the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet in Minneapolis.
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NR01-1293 (Diabetes Survey)
Media Advisory: Dr. Smith can be reached at (919) 966-0732. (Please do not publish contact information.)
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