Women with type 1 diabetes are 40% more likely to die early than men with the disease, study finds

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Diabetic women are also 37 per cent more likely to die of a stroke than men
Risk of dying of kidney disease is 44 per cent higher in women than men
Poor blood sugar control and insulin management may be to blame
Globally, almost 500,000 people under 15 have type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is where the pancreas doesn't produce any insulin
It is normally diagnosed in childhood and is not caused by obesity

Published: 19:01 EST, 5 February 2015 | Updated: 08:23 EST, 6 February 2015

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Women with type 1 diabetes face a 40 per cent increased excess risk of dying early compared with men, according to new research.

They also have more than twice the risk of dying from heart disease compared to men with the condition.

Researchers behind the study suggest this could be because poorer blood sugar control and difficulties in managing insulin might be more common among women.

Globally, cases of type 1 diabetes are rising, with the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children aged 14 or younger increasing by three per cent every year since 1989.

Women with type 1 diabetes are 40 per cent more likely to die than men, Australian researchers claim

In 2013, the International Diabetes Federation estimated there are almost 500,000 children aged under 15 years with type 1 diabetes worldwide, the largest numbers being in Europe (129,000) and North America (108,700).

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas (a small gland behind the stomach) doesn't produce any insulin – the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.

If the amount of glucose in the blood is too high, it can, over time, seriously damage the body's organs.

The cause of type 1 diabetes is not known and it is not preventable, unlike type 2 diabetes, which is often related to increasing levels of obesity, lack of exercise and unhealthy diet.

The researchers, whose findings were published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, analysed data from previous studies involving more than 200,000 people with type 1 diabetes.

Study lead author Professor Rachel Huxley, of The University of Queensland in Australia, said: 'We know that people with type 1 diabetes have shorter life expectancies than the general population, from both acute and long-term diabetic complications.

WHAT IS TYPE 1 DIABETES?

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar (glucose) level to become too high.

The hormone insulin – produced by the pancreas – is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas (a small gland behind the stomach) doesn't produce any insulin – the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.

This is why it's also sometimes called insulin-dependent diabetes.

If the amount of glucose in the blood is too high, it can, over time, seriously damage the body's organs.

Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but usually appears before the age of 40, particularly in childhood.

It is the most common type of childhood diabetes, this is why it's sometimes called juvenile diabetes or early-onset diabetes.

Globally, cases of type 1 diabetes are rising, with the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children aged 14 or younger increasing by three per cent every year since 1989.

In 2013 International Diabetes Federation estimated there are almost 500,000 children aged under 15 years with type 1 diabetes worldwide, the largest numbers being in Europe (129,000) and North America (108,700).

'But, until now, it was not clear whether this excess risk of mortality is the same in women and men with the disease.

'On average, women live longer than men.

'But, our findings show that in women with type 1 diabetes this "female protection" seems to be lost and excess deaths in women with type 1 diabetes are higher than in men with the disease.'

Professor Huxley and her colleagues analysed results from all studies examining sex-specific estimates of death for men and women with type 1 diabetes spanning the last five decades, dating back to January 1966.

Analysis of the figures from 26 studies - involving 214,114 people with the disease - found a 37 per cent higher excess risk of dying from any cause in women with type 1 diabetes compared with men who have the disorder.

In particular, women have nearly double the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease than men.

Women with type 1 diabetes also face a greater risk of strokes (37 per cent) and are 44 per cent more likely to die from kidney disease than men with the disorder.

However, type 1 diabetes is not linked with an increased risk of death from cancers in either sex.

The researchers speculate that poorer glycaemic control and difficulties in insulin management could be contributing factors to the increased risk of heart-related deaths in women with type 1 diabetes.

These factors are more common among women, they said.

Professor Huxley added: 'The marked difference between the sexes for heart-related disease is likely to have profound implications for how women with type 1 diabetes are treated and managed throughout their lives.

She added that a joint statement from the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association concluded more research is needed into racial and ethnic differences in people with type 1 diabetes.

It also said research into improved ways of predicting which patients are at risk of developing heart problems is also needed.