Getting type 2 diabetes at age 50 carries a higher risk of complications and early death than if you are diagnosed later in life.
This is what emerges from a study coordinated by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York and published on Jama Network Open, which compared the data associated with three age groups in which the diagnosis occurred (50-59 years, 60- 69 and over 70 years) discovering that the excess risk of death is higher among the youngest (49%) than in the other two groups: + 10% for those who received a diagnosis between 60 and 69 years, + 8% for the over-70s.
In total, the team of researchers looked at data from more than 7,000 people over the age of 50 who had been diagnosed with diabetes.
The analysis showed that not only the risk of excess mortality but also the risk of complications increased significantly the earlier the diagnosis was made.
Specifically, those who had been diagnosed with diabetes between the ages of 50 and 69 had a 66% higher risk of heart disease than the general population of the same age.
The risk dropped to 25% in the group diagnosed between the ages of 60 and 69 and to 15% if the diagnosis arrived after the age of 80.
The excess risk for cognitive impairment was 30%, 8% and 3%, respectively.
The excess risk of stroke of 64%, 41% and 5%.
With regard to disability, the risk of the group that had received the diagnosis between the ages of 50 and 59 was even double, for the 60-69 age group it was 44% and 4% for the over-70s.
For researchers, these differences indicate the need for more effective diabetes management that takes into account age at diagnosis.