Campaign Educates Type 2 Diabetes Population on Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly have launched a campaign aimed at educating individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) about the increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The educational campaign For Your SweetHeart: Where diabetes and heart disease meet was launched after a national survey of 1500 adults revealed that 2 in 3 adults with T2D were unaware that heart disease is the number 1 killer of individuals with T2D, according to a press release.

Furthermore, the survey found that more than half of adults with T2D did not understand that they are at an increased risk for heart disease and related life-threatening events, such as heart attack, stroke, or death.

To bridge the gap in knowledge, Boehringer and Eli Lilly developed and sponsored the For Your SweetHeart campaign to “raise awareness of the link between diabetes and heart disease and to encourage people with type 2 diabetes to now their heart disease risk and speak to their health care provider, for the sake of their health and the people they cherish the most,” according to the release.

“The truth is cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among people with diabetes, but there is hope,” Paul Fonteyne, president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim, said in the release. “The earlier people with diabetes understand this risk, the sooner they become engaged and take action to help reduce their chances of heart attacks, strokes, or even death. We’re excited to launch For Your SweetHeart to encourage people with type 2 diabetes to assess their risk through the Heart Your Quiz and to speak with their health care provider about the link between diabetes and heart disease. The most important thing people can do is know everything they can about their health and encourage their loved ones to do the same.”

The Heart You Quiz is a questionnaire that will help people with T2D and their loved ones learn more about their risk for heart disease. The quiz was reviewed and validated by a steering committee of leading cardiologists and endocrinologists, according to a Boehringer press release.

“People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes,” Mike Mason, vice president of US Lilly Diabetes, said in a press release. “Educating the public about this important health crisis is just another component of our responsibility and commitment to delivering the best care for people with type 2 diabetes. We hope this initiative will encourage people to take action, not only for themselves, but also for their sweethearts.”