OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to explore how the assessment of CVD risks impact  health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A prospective, multi-center observational study was carried out in Korea. CVD risks were assessed in patients with type 2 diabetes and aged ≥ 40 years by carotid ultrasound (CUS). Before and 6 months after CUS, patients completed a questionnaire on HRQoL using a diabetes-specific instrument: KR-ADDQoL that estimates the impact of diabetes on 18 life domains. Each item includes both impact (range: -3 [greatest] to +1 [least]), and importance (range: 0 [least] to 3 [most]) scores. These are multiplied and summed to estimate the average weighted impact (AWI) scores, which is reflective of the impact of diabetes on QoL. RESULTS: The mean present QoL of 622 patients (male 50.5%, mean age 60.0±9.5 years), was 0.49±0.92 (range: -3 [extremely bad] to 3 [excellent]) and diabetes-dependent QoL was -1.48±0.98 (range: -3 [very much better] to 1 [worse]) at baseline. Patients reported that family life is the most important (2.27±0.66) and stated the greatest impact on freedom to eat (-1.76±0.93). At 6months after assessment of CVD risks, the same domains were expressed as the most important and the greatest impact. In terms of the change of impact degree of diabetes on life domains, it was lesser in family life (from 2.27 to 2.19, P<0.01), friendship and social life (from -2.30 to -2.14, P=0.02), but was greater in freedom to eat (from -4.33 to -4.07, P=0.04). AWI of diabetes considering all life domains was also a bit decreased (from -2.52 to -2.50 although it was not statistically significant. There were no differences in the changes of the AWI according to CVD risk levels. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of diabetes on HRQoL was positively changed after the assessment of CVD risks.