Local healthcare community raise alarm bells on growing trend of cardiovascular disease risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes

At a press conference, the Ministry of Public Health together with the local medical community came together and launched a nation-wide public campaign on the occasion of the World Heart Day, to address CVD risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes. The event, organized by The Ministry of Public Health, was rolled out with the support of the Lebanese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Lipids, the Lebanese Society of Cardiology, and Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

The campaign, “Do you have diabetes, it’s time to think about your hearts”, will include a series of public service announcements that will be disseminated across local cinemas and social media platforms, to highlight the complex relationship between diabetes and CVD. Living with type 2 diabetes puts individuals at higher risk for heart disease and stroke. However, by managing their risk factors,  patients with diabetes may avoid or delay the development of heart and blood vessel disease. [1]

H.E. Dr. Jamil Jabak, Minister of Public Health said, “Living with diabetes can be exhausting. People need support to manage it well and protect their overall health. It is our mission to partner with leading entities to help promote a holistic understanding around diabetes and its risk factors including CVDs, and prevention mechanisms. We want to encourage people living with diabetes to think about protecting their hearts and seek the right medical advice. Type 2 diabetes has a major public health impact through high disease prevalence in Lebanon, significant downstream pathophysiological effects, and enormous financial liabilities. [2] Together with our partners, we continue to focus on placing more emphasis on educating the population about the importance of lifestyle modifications, CVD risk factors, which will eventually help to improve type 2 diabetic patient outcomes.

In addition, Dr. Akram Echtay, Director of the National Diabetes Program at the Ministry of Public Health also noted, “Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death amongst people with type 2 diabetes accounting for around 52% in type 2 diabetes patients worldwide. [3] Reducing cardiovascular risk is an essential component of diabetes management and so patients need to be better educated on how to modify cardiovascular risk factors in order to offer the best chance of improving CVD outcomes. Public campaigns are the backbone of increasing knowledge around management best practices, but more importantly, create a sense of urgency for the public to adopt prevention through awareness.”

Local studies in Lebanon suggest that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes ranges between 8% - 11% according to age factors. These figures form a strong foundation to continue rallying efforts towards driving awareness and education around curbing the increase of the disease in Lebanon. The Ministry of Public Health has championed public awareness campaigns and managed the launch of several certified education programs in primary care facilities across Lebanon.⁵

Dr. Paola Atallah, President of the Lebanese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Lipids said: “The dynamic lifestyle in Lebanon has led to a notable increase in rates of type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions and adherence to medications are central to disease prevention and management. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes worldwide and reducing cardiovascular risk, including death, is an essential component of diabetes care that was missing in older treatment interventions. There is a general lack of awareness on cardiovascular disease in Lebanon. That is why it is important to create alliances such as the one today to drive a holistic approach around managing better and stronger diabetes outcomes.”

Dr. Malek Mohamed, President of the Lebanese Society of Cardiology also commented, “Today’s announcement comes at a critical time as part of concentrated efforts towards building community call to action around type 2 diabetes and CVD risk factors, a very serious public health challenge in Lebanon. Those who have type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Studies have shown that optimal blood glucose levels, along with the control of hypertension, weight loss and quitting smoking, are all necessary to reduce cardiovascular risks in type 2 diabetes patients. In particular, those who have diabetes and hypertension, the risk of cardiovascular disease doubles. Regular check-ups can help patients living with type 2 diabetes and help to reduce adverse outcomes such as cardiovascular diseases associated with diabetes. [4] [5]

On his part, Fouad Jeweidi, Country Head Levant at Boehringer Ingelheim focused on the company’s integrated approach towards managing type 2 diabetes and CVD risk implications as part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment towards driving access for innovative therapies that help save patients’ lives and, at the same time, working with the local community to raise more awareness around the prevalence cardiometabolic diseases in Lebanon. He said, “We are dedicated to building community-wide awareness and leverage our expertise in deep research, collaborations as well integrated product portfolio to make life better for all those affected by diabetes.”

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About Boehringer Ingelheim

Improving the health of humans and animals is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around 17.5 billion euros. R&D expenditure of almost 3.2 billion euros corresponded to 18.1 per cent of net sales.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards humankind and the environment.

For more information, please visit the company’s social media platforms for the region: Facebook or Twitter  

For further information, kindly contact:

Sara Shamel

Head of External Communications - META

Boehringer Ingelheim | Middle East, Turkey and Africa

sara.shamel@boehringer-ingelheim.com

[1] https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/why-diabetes-matters/cardiovascular-disease--diabetes

[2] Dietary Patterns and Odds of Type 2 Diabetes in Beirut, Lebanon | http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780793

[3] Mortality and cause of death in the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11762754_Mortality_and_causes_of_death_in_the_WHO_Multinational_Study_of_Vascular_Disease_in_Diabetes

[4] Importance of cardiovascular disease risk management in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus  I https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4043722/

[5] Cardiovascular Disease & Diabetes I  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/WhyDiabetesMatters/Cardiovascular-Disease-Diabetes_UCM_313865_Article.jsp/#.VwEOm_l96XI