American Diabetes Association “Makes the Link” Between Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease in New Toolkit

On October 23, the ADA announced the creation of its “Make the Link” Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease Resource Toolkit. Although the toolkit is originally intended for health care professionals, patients can learn from it directly as well as share it with their providers. This resource brings attention to the fact that people with diabetes are at increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) and have double to quadruple the heart disease death rates of adults without diabetes. CAD is caused by the buildup of fatty deposits (“plaques”) in heart arteries. It is the most common type of heart disease as well as the leading cause of death in the US. Risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, being overweight or obese, smoking, physical inactivity, and stress.

The toolkit is part of the ADA’s Make the Link! Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke initiative with Medtronic to create awareness about the association between diabetes and CAD. It contains basic information about diabetes and CAD as well as tips for management – “Getting the Very Best Care for Your Diabetes” has a helpful chart for tracking your target numbers with your health care provider. You can find the full tool at the ADA website here. –NL