Age at T2DM Diagnosis Inversely Linked to Risk for Adverse Outcomes

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Younger age at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk for mortality and vascular disease, according to a review published online Dec. 14 in Diabetologia.

Natalie Nanayakkara, M.B.B.S., from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues examined the risk for mortality, macrovascular complications, and microvascular complications associated with age at type 2 diabetes diagnosis in a systematic review. Data were included from 26 observational studies, which included 1,325,493 individuals from 30 countries.

The researchers observed an inverse association between age at diabetes diagnosis and risk for all-cause mortality and macrovascular and microvascular diseases. After adjustment for current age, each one-year increase in age at diabetes diagnosis was associated with a 4, 3, and 5 percent reduction in the risks for all-cause mortality, macrovascular disease, and microvascular disease, respectively. For individual components of the composite outcome, the effects were consistent.

“This difference in risk between younger and older people in terms of absolute versus lifetime risks of type 2 diabetes complications should perhaps be recognized in diabetes management guidelines, with increased promotion of screening programs in older people with type 2 diabetes and a greater emphasis on preventive measures for younger people with type 2 diabetes,” Nanayakkara said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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