Reducing cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes: a message from the National Diabetes Education Program.

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 65 percent of deaths in persons with type 2 diabetes. However, awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors among patients with diabetes remains low, resulting in missed opportunities to lower risks for coronary events and strokes. The National Diabetes Education Program has begun a campaign to increase patient participation in risk-reduction practice s by promoting the "ABCs" of diabetes care: A(1c) level, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol level. By increasing patient awareness of the link between diabetes and heart disease, family physicians can encourage patients to take medications (including aspirin), stop smoking, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels.