On September 28, the European Commission launched the first-ever EU Screening Week, encouraging people to “know their numbers.” In Brussels, IDF Europe is supporting the campaign with health glucose checks outside the Berlaymont building. The Week forms part of the broader ambitions of the Safe Hearts Plan, the EU’s first cardiovascular health strategy.
A key element of the Plan is the development of a flagship EU health-check protocol, which the European Commission is expected to propose as a Council Recommendation by the end of this year. The European Parliament has echoed this ambition, calling for an approach that recognises the interconnected nature of conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and obesity.
As an organisation representing people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals across Europe, IDF Europe welcomes the Plan’s recognition that cardiovascular disease (CVD) cannot be addressed in isolation. Its success will depend not only on how effectively it addresses CVD itself, but also on how well prevention and management are integrated across the broader health system.
CVD, kidney disease and diabetes share risk factors and accelerate one another: persistently high blood glucose, elevated blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels can damage blood vessels over time, increasing strain on both the heart and the kidneys. Reduced kidney function can, in turn, further increase cardiovascular risk, creating a cycle in which one condition can worsen the other.
Screening should reflect how closely these risks are connected, rather than assessing each condition in isolation
People with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of CVD, including heart attack and stroke, as well as kidney disease. These conditions can complicate diabetes management and increase the risk of further complications, which may develop silently before symptoms appear.
Systematic, integrated health checks can help identify these risks sooner, support earlier intervention and reduce the likelihood of progression to life-altering complications.
Recognising these interconnected risks, IDF Europe worked with partners across the cardiology, kidney and obesity communities on joint recommendations for the EU protocol on health checks: a single check — covering blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, kidney function and body composition — offered systematically to adults aged 35 to 65 at least every five years, with tailored approaches at other ages.
Risks are interconnected, accumulate over time and are best addressed early.
Screening should reflect how closely these risks are connected, rather than assessing each condition in isolation.
The real value of integrated health checks depends on what happens next. Early detection must be connected to timely, coordinated care through clear pathways from the identification of risk through diagnosis and ongoing management.
This requires a workforce equipped to recognise and manage the interconnected nature of cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic conditions, including diabetes.
CVD, kidney disease and diabetes share risk factors and accelerate one another
Health systems must move away from siloed approaches while maintaining the specialist expertise that people living with individual conditions need. By linking early detection with integrated follow-up and ongoing care, health systems can help prevent or delay disease progression and complications.
The Safe Hearts Plan gives Europe an opportunity to build an approach that reflects how these conditions actually develop: risks are interconnected, accumulate over time and are best addressed early.
As the Council Recommendation on health checks moves towards adoption, national policymakers — together with EU institutions — need to turn this ambition into practice: an integrated health check, and a guarantee that every diagnosis leads to coordinated, condition-specific care.
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Source: www.theparliamentmagazine.eu
