Type 2 Diabetes Phenotype and Progression Is Significantly Different if Diagnosed before versus after 65 Years of Age |
| |
Authors: | Hubert Kolb Berthold Schneider Lutz Heinemann Tim Heise Volker Lodwig Jacques K. Tshiang Tshiananga Christian Weber Werner A. Scherbaum Stephan Martin |
| |
Affiliation: | 1.German Diabetes Center, Institute for Clinical Diabetes Research, Düsseldorf, Germany;2.Medical University Hannover, Institute for Biometry, Hannover, Germany;3.Profil Institute for Metabolic Research, Neuss, Germany;4.Institute for Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Basel, Switzerland;5.Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Rheumatology, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany;6.West German Diabetes and Health Centre, Düsseldorf, Germany |
| |
Abstract: | BackgroundThe incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing disproportionately in individuals <65 years of age. It is not known whether disease characteristics in these younger patients are similar to “classic” late-onset type 2 diabetes.MethodsIn the epidemiological cohort study entitled “Retrolective Study: Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose and Outcome in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes,” a total of 3268 patients from randomly contacted primary care practices were documented during a mean follow-up period of 6.5 years. All newly diagnosed patients of these practices were included.ResultsAt diagnosis, 64.2% of the patients were aged ≤65 years. Thereof, 57.2% were male, whereas in the age group >65 years only 35.0% were male (p < 0.001). The younger group exhibited more severe metabolic deterioration at diagnosis and in the following years than the older group. Conversely, the older group presented at diagnosis with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) was more prominent in the younger group. In both age groups, the use of SMBG was associated with a significantly lower risk (p = 0.003) of a combined end point (severe diabetic complication or all-cause mortality).ConclusionsThere are considerable differences in disease characteristics between people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during 45–65 years of age versus diagnosis at a later age. Type 2 diabetes diagnosed before the age of 65 years disproportionately affected men and exhibited a more severe disease course, but was characterized by significantly less cardiovascular risk factors in comparison to type 2 diabetes diagnosed at a later age. The use of SMBG was associated with a better clinical outcome in both age groups. |
| |
Keywords: | diabetes therapy diabetic complications epidemiology mortality self-monitoring of blood glucose type 2 diabetes |
|
|