Eye Disease Linked to Age at Diabetes Onset

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Timing is everything: age of onset influences long-term retinopathy risk in tyhpe 2 diabetes, independent of traditional risk factors, by Jencia Wong and colleagues. Diabetes Care 31:1985–1990, 2008

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

People are developing type 2 diabetes earlier in life than ever before. Nearly half of all children with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, and many adolescents have already developed diabetes complications by the time they find out they have type 2 diabetes. There is some evidence that people who get type 2 diabetes earlier are more likely to get complications such as eye disease. But no one knows exactly why this may be so.

Why did researchers do this particular study?

The researchers wanted to see whether the age at which people get type 2 diabetes directly affects their chances of getting diabetic eye disease later.

Who was studied?

The study includes more than 600 patients who had had type 2 diabetes for 20-30 years and more than 850 patients who had had the disease for 10-12 years, all from Sydney, Australia.

How was the study done?

The researchers divided patients into groups based on how old they were when their diabetes was diagnosed and their level of blood glucose control and looked at how many had diabetic eye disease and how severe their eye disease was.

What did the researchers find?

People who got diabetes when they were younger than 45 were more likely to have eye disease and, when they did, were likely to have more severe eye disease than those who got diabetes at an older age. This was true even after taking into account their level of diabetes control and the length of time they had had diabetes.

What were the limitations of the study?

Because the information for this study was collected over a period of 20 years, eye disease was not detected by the current best method, retinal photography. Also, because diabetic eye disease might be linked to a higher risk of death, it is possible that the number of older patients with eye disease was not accurate.

What are the implications of the study?

People who get type 2 diabetes at an earlier age may be more likely to develop eye disease even if they control their diabetes. This is another reason why it is important to delay the development of diabetes and to strive for tighter blood glucose control for younger patients.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Diabetes and Eye Disease

Type 2 Diabetes in Youth

ADA Uncomplicated Guide to Diabetes Complications