IHU ICAN unveils the results of the 2nd edition of its annual barometer , conducted with Ifop, on French perceptions of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD).
This study reviews the current state of knowledge of these pathologies in France , and highlights the growing challenges of awareness and prevention.
- Are they informed about causes and risk factors?
- What do the French know about cardiometabolism?
- How do they view these pathologies?
Cardiometabolic diseases, a public health issue
Cardiometabolic diseases are pathologies combining cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, obesity and fatty liver. Their progression, often linked to a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and genetic factors, is the cause of many deaths in France.
Created 12 years ago, the IHU ICAN, located at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, works to raise public awareness of these diseases.
To this end, it publishes an annual barometer in collaboration with Ifop.
For the second year running, the 2024 survey reveals a lack of information among the general public about these diseases.
Knowledge of cardiometabolic diseases is still incomplete
- According to the results of the 2024 barometer, 65% of people surveyed are not familiar with cardiometabolic diseases.
- Only 35% have ever heard of the term, and of these, a minority of 9% actually know what it means.
- Another worrying constant is that 62% of respondents mistakenly believe that MDC are diseases that can be cured, whereas they are chronic, progressive diseases that are often detected in advanced stages because they progress quietly and are revealed during acute episodes leading to hospitalization.
- Among the diseases of greatest concern, cardiovascular disease tops the list, with 71% of respondents citing this category, followed by diabetes (41%) and high blood pressure (40%).
- These figures show that cardiovascular diseases are well identified in the population , but that their causes are much less so: metabolic steatosis (MASH) is cited as a cardiometabolic disease by only 35% of respondents , and only 13% are worried about one day suffering from MASH, even though it affects 18% of the population and is responsible for complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
- The main perceived causes of cardiometabolic disease include poor diet (78%) and lack of physical activity (68%), demonstrating a growing awareness of the behavioral factors behind these pathologies.
The general public, ready for prevention and increased awareness
- To combat these diseases effectively, 55% of French people rank awareness of healthy lifestyles and 48% training for healthcare professionals as their top priorities.
- What’s more, 56% of those surveyed expressed concern about the risk of developing MCM in the future, and 85% of French people consider MCM to be a serious illness likely to lead to death, highlighting a growing need for support and prevention.
- Despite these perceptions, 57% of respondents say they have never been informed about these diseases, underlining the need to step up awareness campaigns.
It’s time to act!
“Cardiometabolic diseases are a rapidly emerging field of medicine, not only because of their epidemic nature, but also because very active research is revealing the extent and complexity of the links between metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular health. We already know that these cardiometabolic diseases are the result of lifelong processes, linked to interactions between environmental factors, nutrition, lifestyle and an individual’s genome. The challenge is to identify these processes at an early stage and try to act on them by developing precision medicine, from prevention to patient follow-up.
This is a matter of urgency: cardiometabolic diseases concern us all, and they are evolving rapidly.
Prof. Stéphane HATEM, General Director of the ICAN IHU and Director of UMR 1166 Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases.
Faced with emergencies, the role of IHU ICAN
In conclusion, this survey demonstrates the urgent need for action in view of the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases and their links with cardiovascular disease, which are still poorly understood. Efforts to raise awareness and provide information therefore seem crucial for the future.
For all these reasons, the IHU ICAN has set up, in 2024 :
- National cardiometabolic disease week to improve prevention of these pathologies,
- And a symposium entitled “Maladies cardiométaboliques (MCM), un enjeu de santé publique majeur qui nous concerne tous” in collaboration with the Académie nationale de médecine and Inserm’s thematic institute, on November 28.
Who we are
Created in 2011, IHU ICAN is a scientific cooperation foundation whose main objective is to develop tomorrow’s medicine to combat cardiometabolic diseases. Located at the heart of Europe’s largest public hospital, La Pitié-Salpêtrière, IHU ICAN draws on the expertise of its scientific community (168 doctors, 261 researchers) and its 3 founders to carry out its missions: AP-HP (Assistance publique – Hôpitaux de Paris), Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) and Sorbonne Université.
Have a question? Please contact us:
- Francine TROCME
- Director of Communications and Patronage – IHU ICAN
- 06 81 64 97 88
- f.trocme@ihuican.org
