WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - A survey released Tuesday found less than one third of diabetics know they are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

This lack of knowledge could lead to even more preventable deaths, said Tommy Thompson, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Thompson and officials from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) presented the survey results at a press briefing here. They called on the media, physicians and the public to help promote awareness of the increased cardiovascular disease risk among people with diabetes.

Increasing awareness "is very personal to me because my father had diabetes, was overweight and died of a heart attack at an early age," Thompson said.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body loses its sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that helps move glucose (sugar) from the blood and into cells to be used for energy. Heart disease is a long-term complication, in part, because type 2 diabetes is often part of several factors--including obesity and high cholesterol--that contribute to heart problems.

In the survey of 2,008 people with diabetes, commissioned jointly by the ADA and ACC, 68% said they do not consider cardiovascular disease to be a serious complication of diabetes. But, in fact, two-thirds of deaths in people with diabetes are due to heart and blood vessel disease, said ADA President Christopher Saudek.

Awareness of the link was lowest among the elderly and Hispanics. Also, 60% of those surveyed said they did not feel that they were at high risk for high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. Saudek noted that as many of 60% of diabetics have hypertension, and almost all have one or more cholesterol abnormality, including low levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, and high LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.

"There is a serious knowledge gap between the facts and the perceptions in diabetes," Saudek said.

He and Thompson said they were alarmed at the survey results, because type 2 diabetes-an often preventable disease--is increasing. This means complications such as heart attacks and stroke will rise as well, they noted, especially if diabetics don't know they are at increased risk. Even as heart attack and stroke rates are falling among the general population, Saudek pointed out, they are rising among diabetics.

Some 16 million Americans have diabetes, with type 2 being by far the most common form.

Thompson noted that HHS-funded studies have shown that healthy diet and exercise can help reduce diabetes risk, and also help people with diabetes to keep their blood sugar levels under control and thus reduce their chances of complications. He said he intended to use his "bully pulpit" to encourage Americans to watch their weight and exercise more, and added that he would encourage employers to do the same.

Thompson said he would also be promoting the "ABCs of Diabetes" campaign developed by HHS' National Diabetes Education Program. Under that plan, diabetics are urged to track and monitor their blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. According to the campaign, diabetics should also know their hemoglobin A1C score, which is a measure of long-term blood sugar control.

The ACC and ADA are also promoting a campaign called Make the Link to help inform people with diabetes about how they can cut their heart disease risk and provide information to doctors. The information can be found at www.diabetes.org/makethelink.

Thompson said HHS would take the diabetes and cardiovascular disease campaigns to labor unions and minority communities, also.

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