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Earlier Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Lower Life Expectancy

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 19, 2023 -- Every decade of earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is associated with a lower life expectancy, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Stephen Kaptoge, Ph.D., from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a combined analysis of individual participant data from 19 high-income countries using data from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration and the U.K. Biobank. Using data from 1,515,718 participants, age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were calculated according to age at diagnosis of diabetes.

The researchers observed a linear dose-response association between earlier age at diagnosis and an increased risk for all-cause mortality for those with versus without diabetes. The hazard ratios were 2.69, 2.26, 1.84, 1.57, and 1.39 when diagnosed at age 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 years and older, respectively. Men and women had similar hazard ratios per decade of earlier diagnosis. For a 50-year-old with diabetes versus an individual without diabetes, death occurred 14, 10, or six years earlier when diagnosed at age 30, 40, and 50 years, respectively, using death rates from the United States. The corresponding estimates were 13, nine, or five years earlier using European Union death rates.

"This study suggests that every decade of earlier diagnosis of diabetes is associated with about three to four years of lower life expectancy, highlighting the need to develop and implement interventions that prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and to intensify the treatment of risk factors among young adults diagnosed with diabetes," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted October 2023

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