Fewer than 1 in 5 adults with Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. are successfully managing their heart disease risk, according to a scientific statement published Jan. 10 in the American Heart Association's Circulation journal.
"In the United States, less than 1 in 5 adults with [Type 2 diabetes] not diagnosed with cardiovascular disease are meeting optimal [Type 2 diabetes] management goals of not smoking and achieving healthy levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as 'bad' cholesterol," said Joshua Joseph, MD, chair of the statement's writing group and an endocrinologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
The scientific statement says addressing social determinants of health and other barriers to treatment can help improve heart health among people with Type 2 diabetes. The American Heart Association's last scientific statement on preventing heart disease in diabetes patients was published in 2015.
To view the full statement, click here.