A new paper reveals a shift in the landscape of diabetes-related mortality, with an alarming rise in deaths due to dementia and falls among Australians with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The trend echoes in the United Kingdom, reflecting a growing global issue that requires renewed attention.
Diverse Causes of Death Among Diabetes Patients
Traditionally, heart disease has been the main cause of death among people with diabetes. However, the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute’s study suggests that the focus needs to broaden.
The study, published in Diabetic Medicine, examined the records of more than 1.3 million Australians with diabetes and found that heart disease, although still prevalent, has been superseded by cancer as the leading cause of death in men with type 2 diabetes.
The Rising Tide of Dementia
The rise in deaths due to dementia, which has increased by over 5 percentage points in Australia from 2002 to 2019, is concerning.
Similar trends were seen in the U.K., where deaths from dementia jumped 14 percentage points between 2001 and 2018.
Interestingly, this increase cannot be fully attributed to the longer life expectancy of individuals with diabetes.
The study also showed a rise in dementia-related deaths among those younger than 65, indicating that factors beyond aging are at play.
Implications for Healthcare
The study highlights the need for healthcare practitioners and policy-makers to be vigilant about the risks of dementia, falls, and even Parkinson’s disease in people with diabetes.
Professor Jonathan Shaw, the Head of Clinical Diabetes and Epidemiology, noted that these findings likely indicate the improvements in managing cardiovascular diseases but also underscore the growing challenge of tackling dementia.
Prevention and Treatment
Considering the rising trends, it is crucial for diabetes management plans to include screening and prevention strategies for dementia and falls.
Furthermore, educational efforts must be ramped up to inform both healthcare providers and patients that diabetes can increase the risk of a wide range of complications, including cognitive impairments.
Key takeaways
While strides have been made in controlling heart disease among diabetes patients—thanks in part to cholesterol-lowering medications—the emergence of dementia and falls as significant causes of death can’t be ignored.
In a landscape where diabetes increases the risk of various conditions, a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to diabetes management is more essential than ever.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
The study was published in Diabetic Medicine.
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