Awareness of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in People with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Independent of other risk factors, type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk of heart attack or stroke two-to-threefold and the risk of death twofold. Poorly managed diabetes and commonly comorbid conditions such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia multiply this risk. This cross-sectional study investigates differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk awareness in a sample of people with T2D. Methods: Participants with T2D paying for a subscription to One Drop for diabetes management completed a survey on their health. Three groups were identified: those who did not know their CVD risk, those who reported no risk, and those who reported being at risk for CVD. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests compared groups on CVD risk factors (comorbidities, health behaviors, A1C, BMI) , self-care knowledge and interest in knowing more about risk. Results: Of the 165 participants, 20.6% did not know their risk, 32.7% indicated no risk and 46.7% indicated they were at risk for CVD. The unknown risk group had the most interest in knowing more about their CVD risk (81.3%; p<.001) and the least engagement in diabetes self-care behaviors (p’s<.05) . The group self-reporting no risk had the lowest rates of hypertension (44% vs. 60%+, p<.02) and hyperlipidemia (26% vs. 50%+, p<.001) , the least knowledge of diabetes self-care behaviors (p=.004) , and the least interest in learning more about their CVD risk (34%; p<.001) . The group self-reporting risk had moderate interest in learning more about their risk (58%) . Groups did not differ on self-reported A1C (p=.23) or BMI (p=.18) . Discussion: Over half of the sample reported unknown or no risk for CVD. Those who did not know their risk had high interest in knowing more about their risk but low engagement in risk-mitigating behaviors. Those reporting no risk had lower rates of comorbidities; however, there was no difference in diabetes-related risk factors between groups. These findings suggest that CVD prevention programs should be developed to complement diabetes-focused programs. Disclosure S.D.Imrisek: Employee; One Drop. J.R.Hoy-rosas: None. L.M.Lavaysse: Employee; One Drop. M.Lee: Employee; One Drop. J.Dachis: Board Member; One Drop, Employee; One Drop, Stock/Shareholder; One Drop. L.Sears: Employee; One Drop.