Type 1 diabetes patients live longer, study finds

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People with type 1 diabetes today live relatively longer compared to their counterparts who had the same condition more than 40 years ago, a recent study found.

According to researchers from Dundee University in Scotland and the Scottish Diabetes Research Network, life expectancy of those who have the disease has improved, with a lower number of years taken from their lives.

The study said that men with the condition have a life span 11 years shorter than those without it, while women have 13 less years.

The study is described as "encouraging" as it showed a marked improvement from previous years' studies where an average of 15 to 20 years are taken off from type 1 diabetics compared to nondiabetics, the researchers said.

The present findings look even brighter compared to a 1970s report where life expectancy was 27 years shorter for type 1 diabetics in the U.S.

The researchers analyzed data of 24,000 individuals with type 1 diabetes who were 20 years old and above between 2008 and 2010.

The study found 47 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women with the condition lived up to 70 years old. This is in comparison to 76 per cent of men and 83 per cent of women without the disease who survived up to the said age. At age 20, people with type 1 diabetes are said to have a life expectancy of 66 years on average for men, and 68 for women. This is versus the 77 and 81 years of life expectancy for men and women, respectively, who do not have the disease, the study said.

Heart disease was said to be the largest contributor to lower life expectancy for type 1 diabetes patients. Those who died younger than age 50 were found to die of short-lived problems such as diabetic comas and ketoacidosis a condition when the body begins to break down fat and starts producing toxic acids.

"It's important to stress that these are averages," according to Dr. Helen Colhoun of the University of Dundee School of Medicine in Scotland. "Some people with type 1 diabetes will achieve a very long life expectancy and some people will have a short life expectancy. These are estimates."

 "For type 1 diabetes, the key thing is really glycemic control, because it in turn determines your kidney health - for example - which in turn has a big impact on cardiovascular health," Colhoun said.

Type 1 diabetes is said to affect some 1.5 million Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the figure accounts for 5 per cent of all diabetic Americans which is at 29.1 million, as per CDC.

A type 1 diabetic person's immune system is said to destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, requiring them to inject insulin to their bodies to keep their blood sugar in check. Type 1 diabetes, if untreated, can lead to heart, blood vessel, kidney, eye, and nerve damage.

"The suggested increase in life expectancy is likely due to the improvements we have seen in diabetes care over the last 20 to 30 years, such as home blood glucose testing, earlier detection of diabetes and management of complications of the condition," according to Sarah Ward, deputy national director of Diabetes Scotland.

"While this report is encouraging, much more work remains to ensure better routine care for people with type 1 diabetes to enable them to manage their condition and live longer, healthier lives," Ward said in the BBC news release.

The study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).