DIABETES AWARENESS WEEK AND CORONARY HEART DISEASE

That this House welcomes Diabetes Awareness Week 2007 to be held between 10th and 16th June, at a time when 2.2 million people in the UK suffer from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes; recognises that the most common complication for diabetes is coronary heart disease and that sufferers are four to six times more likely to die as a result than non-diabetics and are at a higher risk of restenosis (re-narrowing of previous clogged arteries); commends the extensive advances in medical technology specifically designed to treat coronary heart disease; notes that bare metal and drug-eluting stents are successful, cost-effective alternatives to coronary artery bypass grafts as a treatment; further notes that drug-eluting stents significantly lower the likelihood of restenosis in diabetics in comparison to bare metal stents; and urges all health trusts to ensure diabetics are given an informed choice of all treatments available.