Prevalence and risk of diabetic complications due to early onset

The findings of a recent study on type 2 diabetes (T2D) show that people who develop diabetes at an early age had greater chances of developing diabetic complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy, carotid artery plaque, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The results of the study were published in the journal, Diabetes & Metabolism. The observational study comprised of 10,447 individuals who suffered from at least one form of diabetic complications- 1,791 people were young-onset T2D (less than 40 years) while 8,656 were late-onset T2D (greater than or equal to 40 years) individuals.

Based on the results obtained from cluster analysis, it was found that people with young-onset diabetes had a higher chance of developing diabetic complications as compared to late-onset T2D cases. However, the prevalence of having diabetic neuropathy remained at a higher level irrespective of the age of diabetes onset.