A recent study published in the European Heart Journal reveals that adults diagnosed with type 1 diabetes face a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death from various causes, including cancer and infections, compared to the general population.
The study, which analyzed data from 10,184 adults diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 2001 and 2020, found that these individuals had a higher incidence of major cardiovascular events, overall mortality, and deaths related to both cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases. Researchers compared these patients with a control group of 509,172 people who did not have diabetes.
Dr. Yuxia Wei, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska, and the study’s lead author, highlighted that poor lifestyle choices—such as smoking, being overweight or obese, and poor glucose control—were key contributors to the higher risk. “We also observed that many people with adult-onset type 1 diabetes were less likely to use medical devices, such as insulin pumps, which could help manage their condition more effectively,” Wei noted in a press release.
Among those with adult-onset type 1 diabetes, nearly 20% were overweight or obese, 8.4% smoked, and 8.8% had elevated blood sugar levels, all of which were associated with a higher rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
The researchers plan to continue studying the long-term effects of adult-onset type 1 diabetes, focusing on risk factors for developing the condition and the progression of complications, including microvascular damage.
The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Diabetes Foundation.
Call for Broader Screening of Adults for Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, affects around 2 million Americans, or about 5-10% of all people with diabetes, according to the CDC. While it typically develops in children, teens, and young adults, up to 40% of people with type 1 diabetes may not realize they have the disease.
Currently, there is no general recommendation for widespread screening for type 1 diabetes in adults, though testing for specific autoantibodies is recommended for individuals with a first-degree relative with the condition. This has raised concerns about potential misdiagnoses, especially given that type 1 diabetes requires insulin treatment, unlike type 2 diabetes, which has a different treatment approach.
Last year, Breakthrough T1D, along with 10 international diabetes organizations, published new guidelines for healthcare providers. These guidelines recommend autoantibody testing to help identify people in the early stages of type 1 diabetes, potentially before the disease progresses further.
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