To mark World Heart Day on 29 September, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in partnership with Novo Nordisk is announcing results from the Taking Diabetes to Heart survey. These are summarized in a joint IDF and World Heart Day infographic you can download below.
The global survey investigated cardiovascular disease (CVD) awareness among 12,695 people with type 2 diabetes and revealed that 2 in 3 had CVD risk factors such as high blood pressure, uncontrolled blood glucose levels and high cholesterol and/or had experienced a CVD event such as angina, heart attack, stroke or heart failure. However, 1 in 4 respondents had never discussed, or cannot remember discussing, CVD risk factors with a doctor and only 1 in 4 considered themselves to be at or low risk of CVD.2
Commenting on the findings, IDF President Professor Nam H. Cho said: “These survey findings confirm our concerns about the increasing global prevalence of diabetes and its associated complications. Awareness of the risks and consequences of the disease remain pitifully low and education to address diabetes complications is lacking. We urge governments to invest in measures to detect type 2 diabetes early and ensure that health professionals are trained to guide people to make positive changes to their lifestyle and better manage their diabetes. This will help people to avoid disabling and life-threating diabetes complications.”
Taking Diabetes to Heart will culminate in a comprehensive report with regional and country-specific results and resources to help support knowledge and awareness of CVD among people with type 2 diabetes and those at risk around the world.
For more information about Taking Diabetes to Heart, visit www.idf.org/takingdiabetes2heart
For more information about diabetes and cardiovascular disease, visit www.idf.org/cvd
