People with diabetes at higher risk of heart disease

He said that the risk of mortality is two to six times higher than in people without diabetes.

"Heart disease is one of the most serious complications of diabetes, accounting for the majority of Diabetes-related deaths. People living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at least doubling their risk of cardiovascular disease,"

Dr. Jenes Peder Bagger said.

"However, many people are unaware of the increased risks to the heart and as a consequence, like diabetes, the symptoms of cardiovascular disease may go undetected and untreated for years," he added.

He said that research continues to look for the cause or causes of diabetes and in particular the associated higher risks of heart diseases, alongside methods to effectively manage, prevent and even cure patients.

Dr Bagger, an international expert of heart disease in Diabetes and other metabolic conditions, noted that it is the increased incidence of Diabetes that has led recent research to focus on the correlation between diabetes and cardiovascular aliments to better manage the enhanced heart-related mortality risk. In the UAE, it is estimated that more than 19.5% of the population is living with diabetes.

Meanwhile, Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, Medical & Research Director at ICLDC also acknowledged the greater risk of early death to patients with both diabetes and cardio-vascular deficiencies.

She said that the diabetes management approach to treatment offered at ICLDC allows for the highest level of specialised patient care from first diagnosis to the management of all complications associated with diabetes, including cardiovascular.

In the UAE, ICLDC is a leader in the provision of reliable data on diabetes and its complications. The objective of Centre's holistic approach to treatment is to ensure that the lives of individuals living with diabetes is improved by providing high-quality, compassionate and cost-effective service.

Dr Maha confirmed that the Centre is committed to being the one-stop centre for providing, treatment, research, education in UAE and will continue to drive the nationwide, award-winning community outreach programme to raise the awareness of this potentially debilitating disease.