Does Developing Type 1 Diabetes After 40 Raise Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease? Study Sheds Light

The researchers behind the current study wanted to investigate the risk of cardiovascular disease and death in this group, particularly for those diagnosed after the age of 40.

The registry-based study identified 10,184 people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in adulthood between 2001 and 2020 and compared them to 509,172 matched people in the control group.

The study shows that these people with adult-onset type 1 diabetes had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death from all causes, including cancer and infections, compared to the control group.

"The main reasons for the poor prognosis are smoking, overweight/obesity, and poor glucose control. We found that they were less likely to use assistive devices, such as insulin pumps," says first author Yuxia Wei, postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet.

The results emphasize the seriousness of type 1 diabetes, even when it starts later in life, the researchers say.

"But we show that the prognosis can be significantly improved by preventing smoking and obesity and improving glucose control, not least in people diagnosed at older ages," explains senior author Sofia Carlsson, senior lecturer and associate professor at the same department.

References: https://news.ki.se/adult-onset-type-1-diabetes-increases-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease-and-death