The fact that type 2 diabetes also occurs in teenagers and young adults is relatively new. It has been estimated that the disease, previously known as “adult-onset diabetes”, reduces life expectancy by an average of six years. However, the influence of the moment of diagnosis was previously unknown.
The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, according to the authors. In 2021, there were around 537 million cases worldwide. This trend is mainly driven by lifestyle and social factors associated with obesity, diet and (lack of) physical activity. The disease is increasingly being diagnosed at younger ages.
For the study, which has now been published in the journal Lancet, researchers analyzed data from 1.5 million affected people from 19 high-income countries over an observation period that totaled more than 23 million life years.
The impact of the duration of the disease is “huge”
According to experts, the impact of the duration of type 2 diabetes is enormous: according to the study, if a person is diagnosed for the first time between the ages of 30 and 39, the mortality rate increases 2.69 times compared to non-diabetics. In the next age group (40 to 49 years), mortality increases 2.26 times; for a diagnosis between 50 and 59 years old, the factor is 1.84 (84 percent more).
If type 2 diabetes occurs between the ages of 60 and 69, mortality increases by a factor of 1.57, and in older age groups by a factor of 1.39 (39 percent more). These results were the same for men and women.
For every decade that type 2 diabetes occurs and is diagnosed earlier, life expectancy decreases by three to four years. According to the scientists, whose study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and other public institutions in Great Britain, the results of the research should lead to the development of special programs to prevent the disease in young people and improve medical care for those affected.