Leaders of the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association Announce Joint Letter at ENDO 2006, Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society

BOSTON, June 25 (PRNewswire) - Though they have markedly different opinions on the controversial Metabolic Syndrome, leaders of the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association announced at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society that they will co-publish a statement on Monday expressing a desire for the organizations to work together on the topic of "cardio-metabolic risk."

Despite their differences of opinion, both organizations are working together to prevent heart disease, stroke and diabetes, said Robert H. Eckel, president of the American Heart Association, a physician and professor at the University of Colorado.Eckel presented alongside John Buse, vice president of the American Diabetes Association in a debate at The Endocrine Society annual meeting entitled "Controversies in Endocrinology: Impact and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome."

The two organizations represented by Buse and Eckel clearly still have differing viewpoints on the Metabolic Syndrome, as articulated last year in a paper published by the American Diabetes Association, "The Metabolic Syndrome: Time for a Critical Appraisal."

The Metabolic Syndrome is loosely defined as a cluster of medical conditions -- including obesity, high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol (and low HDL) -- that increase the risks of diabetes and cardio-vascular disease.

The American Heart Association, according to Eckel, supports identifying and treating the syndrome through lifestyle modifications and other treatments.

But the American Diabetes Association, Buse said, believes that the definition of the syndrome is poor, and that risk prediction of cardiovascular disease is also poor. Further, he said there is little benefit to treating the syndrome as a whole rather than identifying and treating the various components.

The letter, to be released Monday, uses the term "cardio-metabolic risk," new terminology which Buse said may signify a new way of describing and therefore treating the condition known as Metabolic Syndrome.

The debate also included representatives of the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry.

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones, and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 12,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at http://www.endo-society.org/.