To mark World Heart Day today, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has partnered with Novo Nordisk to launch the first-ever multi-country online survey investigating the level of CVD awareness and knowledge among people living with type 2 diabetes. The global survey - Taking Diabetes to Heart - is available in multiple languages until March 2018, and people with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to participate.

Cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke, coronary heart disease and peripheral artery disease,(2) is one of the leading causes of death in people with type 2 diabetes,(1,3) and as the number of people with diabetes continues to increase,(4) the outlook for CVD becomes even more alarming.

"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. Taking Diabetes to Heart is a global effort to tackle the underlying issues behind diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, their escalating costs to societies, and to support cost-effective interventions that can help reduce the current burden that they represent," said Dr Shaukat Sadikot, IDF president.

Taking Diabetes to Heart - www.idf.org/takingdiabetes2heart/survey - aims to define the actions that are required to support knowledge and awareness of CVD among people living with type 2 diabetes to improve their health outcomes. It builds on the IDF global report Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, published in 2016, which includes a series of recommendations to reduce the burden of CVD among people with diabetes and the general population.(5)

"It is concerning that cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes when many of these patients are unaware of this risk," said Alan Moses, senior vice president and chief medical officer of Novo Nordisk. "We are delighted to support the IDF in launching the survey, Taking Diabetes to Heart, to better understand the current knowledge and awareness of cardiovascular disease among people with type 2 diabetes, which will ultimately inform actions needed to help improve health outcomes."

Taking Diabetes to Heart will culminate in a comprehensive report with country-specific results and resources to help support knowledge and awareness of CVD among people with type 2 diabetes around the world.

For more information about Taking Diabetes to Heart, visit www.idf.org/takingdiabetes2heart

For more information about diabetes and CVD, visit www.idf.org/cvd

About the International Diabetes Federation
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organisation of over 230 national diabetes associations in 165 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950. The Federation's activities aim to influence policy, increase public awareness and encourage health improvement, promote the exchange of high-quality information about diabetes, and provide education for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers. IDF is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations and is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO).

About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat other serious chronic conditions: haemophilia, growth disorders and obesity. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 41,400 people in 77 countries and markets its products in more than 165 countries.

About Taking Diabetes to Heart
Taking Diabetes to Heart - www.idf.org/takingdiabetes2heart - consists of an online survey that will be available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, German and Urdu. The survey will remain online until March 2018. Results from the survey will be used to inform policy and decision-making around this common and serious complication of diabetes.(4)

1. World Health Organization. Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2009.
2. Danaei G, Lawes CM, Vander Hoorn S, et al. Global and regional mortality from ischaemic heart disease and stroke attributable to higher-than-optimum blood glucose concentration: comparative risk assessment. The Lancet. 2006; 368:1651-1659. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(06)69700-6.
3. Martín-Timón I, Sevillano-Collantes C, Segura-Galindo A, et al. Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: Have all risk factors the same strength? World J Diabetes. 2014; 5: 444-470. DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v5.i4.444.
4. International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 7th Edition. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation, 2015. Available at: www.diabetesatlas.org. Last accessed: September 2017.
5. International Diabetes Federation. Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation, 2016. Available at: www.idf.org/cvd. Last accessed: September 2017.