Patients with Type 2 urged to take survey of related conditions

A global survey by the International Diabetes Federation and Novo Nordisk will assess the level of health awareness on related conditions among patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Leading causes of death in those with the condition are cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart disease and peripheral artery disease.

The survey, Taking Diabetes

to Heart, is available in several languages until March next year and people with Type 2 are encouraged to take part.

“The world is facing rising prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease among people with Type 2 diabetes, due to limited knowledge on prevention, poor access to timely diagnosis, inappropriate treatment and insufficiently informed self-management,” said Dr Shaukat Sadikot, president of the foundation.

“This survey is a global effort to tackle the underlying issues behind diabetes and cardio- vascular diseases, and support the cost-effective interventions that can help to reduce the current burden.”

Strokes remain a major risk factor in those with diabetes, with young people more at risk in the UAE than elsewhere.

Figures from the Department of Health Abu Dhabi show about 50 per cent of stroke patients in the UAE are 45 or younger, compared with the global average where 80 per cent of patients are 65 or older.

“Stroke is certainly age- related but that doesn’t mean it can’t affect younger adults,” said Dr Victoria Mifsud, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. “Risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are rising, along with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

“We are seeing more people in younger age groups experiencing strokes. The danger is that they will ignore the warning signs because they don’t think they are old enough, or the symptoms may not seem serious.

“They’ll often wait to seek help because they think the symptoms may eventually go away. But from the moment a stroke happens, you are losing nearly two million neurons every minute in the brain.”

To take part in the survey, visit idf.org/takingdiabetes2heart/survey.