This activity jointly sponsored by Medical Education Collaborative and HealthScience Media, Inc.

ACCME
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of Medical Education Collaborative, Inc. (MEC) and HealthScience Media, Inc.  MEC is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Medical Education Collaborative designates this educational activity for a maximum of 30.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ANCC
Medical Education Collaborative (MEC) is the accredited provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center 's Commission on Accreditation.

RNs, LPNs, LVNs and NPs can receive up to 30.2 contact hours for participation in this program.  This program is cosponsored with Medical Education Collaborative, Inc. (MEC) and HealthScience Media, Inc.  Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 12990, for 36.2 contact hour(s). 

ACPE
22.75 contact hours (2.275 CEUs) of credit for pharmacists.  Approval of this course for pharmacists is under a cosponsorship agreement between Medical Education Collaborative, Inc. (MEC) and HealthScience Media, Inc. MEC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.  ACPE #: 815-999-07-050-L01.  The program is designed for all pharmacists.

CDR
Medical Education Collaborative is a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Accredited Provider with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).  Registered dietitians (RDs) and dietetic technicians, registered (DTRs) will receive 22.75 continuing professional education units (CPEUs) for completion of this program/material.

Program Overview

Patients presenting with multiple cardiometabolic risk factors (including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, prediabetes, central obesity, hypertension, microalbuminuria, increased inflammation, and oxidative stress) are at triple the risk of experiencing myocardial infarction and/or stroke and double the risk of mortality from these conditions. Each of these risk factors poses a danger to good health, and the more risk factors present, the greater the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.¹

A pproximately 79,400,000 US adults have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (i.e., hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, or stroke).² Cardiovascular diseases claimed 36% of all deaths in 2004 alone representing more deaths than cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, accidents, and
diabetes mellitus.²

According to the American Diabetes Association, 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in adults during 2005.² A total of 7% of the population or 20.8 million children and adults have diabetes with approximately 6.2 million people undiagnosed.³ In addition, a large proportion of subjects with diabetes continue to have uncontrolled hyperglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.

Therapeutic advances have been gained from anti-dyslipidemia, anti-hypertensive, and anti-diabetic agents. These treatment regimens are invaluable tools to help reduce the clinical and economic burden imposed by cardiovascular and metabolic disease. However, despite this evidence, cardiovascular disease still remains a major cause of death in the US and globally - whether due to inappropriate control of diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension⁴ , or by emergent risk factors such as abdominal obesity⁵ , reduced levels of HDL-C, hypertriglyceridemia and higher proportion of small and dense LDL particles⁶ , all contributing to cardiovascular risk.

The 2008 Cardiometabolic Health Congress will translate the latest clinical data into practical and effective approaches to identify and manage the approximately 27.6% of the US population at increased cardiometabolic risk.² The goal of the congress is to improve patient outcomes through early identification and intervention strategies for patients with, or at risk of developing, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the congress participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate the interrelationship between insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and obesity and their impact on cardiovascular health
• Apply strategies for prevention, screening, early detection and treatment of cardiometabolic risk into clinical practice
• Utilize screening tools, lifestyle change treatment plans, and various drugs in combination to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with
  cardiometabolic risk
• Discuss the potential role of new therapies for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes and CVD

Target Audience

Advanced-level clinicians responsible for the prevention, diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

References

1. Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults .Executive Summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) JAMA. 2001;285:2486-2497.-definition of cardiometabolic risk
2. Rosamond W. et al., Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2007 Update, A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee Circulation. 2006 Dec 28: 1-102
3. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Statistics. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics.jsp
4. Gregg EW, Cheng YJ, Cadwell BL, et al. Secular trends in cardiovascular disease risk factors according to body mass index in US adults. JAMA 2005;293:1868-1874.
5. Ford ES, Mokdad AH, Giles WH. Trends in waist circumference among US adults. Obes Res 2003;11:1223-1231.
6. Carmena R, Duriez P, Fruchart JC. Atherogenic lipoprotein particles in atherosclerosis. Circulation 2004;109:III2-III7.