MSD commissioned survey reveals around half of UAE type 2 diabetics are at risk of heart failure

The survey which was commissioned by MSD and undertaken by Bryter Research between December 2011 and February 2012, showed that physicians reported that on average, only 51% of their type 2 diabetes patients who should be taking a cholesterol-lowering medication (statin) were.

This is despite International Diabetes Federation (IDF) guidelines stating that a statin should be prescribed to all type 2 diabetes patients over the age of 40, or all those with declared CVD. 99% of the patients with type 2 diabetes surveyed were over 40.

The survey, which was conducted across India, Mexico and the Gulf, was specifically designed to focus on regions of the world where diabetes and the associated complication, cardiovascular disease, remain highest. Type 2 diabetics are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than people without diabetes, even in patients over the age of 65. In the UAE, over 18% of the adult population already suffer from diabetes, with estimates suggesting that two out of three of these patients will die from heart disease.

"Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke," said Soren Bo Christiansen, MSD President of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA).

"It is critical that we manage this cardiovascular risk to improve patients' long-term outcomes, and provide patient education to achieve a better understanding of their CVD risk."

At the time of the survey, less than one third (32%) of UAE patients reported they had ever been advised to take a cholesterol-lowering medication (statin) and only 19% reported that they were currently taking one at the time of the survey.

In a similar online survey conducted in India, 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes reported they had been advised to take a statin, with 47% reporting that they were currently taking this medication.

In the Mexican survey, 60% of patients also reported they had been advised to take a statin but only a third reported they were currently taking one.

Comparatively, according to survey results, only 32% of UAE patients noted that they had been advised to take statin, with only 19% currently taking them.

Looking more closely at the reasons why adherence to statin therapies remained so low, more than two thirds of surveyed physicians cited too many pills as being the number one reason for low patient adherence. This was further highlighted by the disparity in the 65% of patients who highlighted heart disease as their number one concern in terms of diabetes complications in comparison to the 19% actually taking statins.

"Reducing the risk of CVD is a major concern when treating patients with type 2 diabetes," said Nidal Fakhoury, Managing Director of MSD in the Middle East.

"If these survey results teach us anything, it is that we need better communication between physicians and patients and greater public awareness on the serious CVD risks diabetics face. At MSD we are committed to addressing and meeting medical gaps to promote greater access for those who need it most. The introduction of the combination therapy Juvicor a once daily pill that combines the blood glucose lowering medication Januvia (sitigliptin) with the cholesterol lowering medication Zocor (simvastin) will offer a solution to numerous UAE patients who struggle with the amount of medications they already have to take."

Diabetes is already an epidemic in the UAE, with the country ranking 10th globally in terms of prevalence.³ The financial burden placed on both the state and the individual is already exponential, with around 14% of healthcare budgets in the Middle East, or $5.5bn being spent on diabetes each year. In the UAE, HAAD estimates that an additional 1 billion Dirham is spent each year on treating diabetics at risk of heart disease. Additional societal costs are already estimated to cost around Dhs30bn, with families that have diabetic members spending up to 25% of their monthly incomes on diabetes care.

In addition to the IDF global guidelines, The American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice recommend statin therapy in addition to lifestyle changes for appropriate patients with type 2 diabetes.

Statin Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Patients
The large majority of physicians (91%) surveyed across the three markets believed that patients with type 2 diabetes sometimes, frequently or very frequently have problems adhering to their statin treatment.

UAE has one of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes in the world, ranking 10th globally.Over 18% of the UAE's population has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

According to studies commissioned by MSD in the Middle East, only around 20% of patients advised to take statin therapies, actually do.