Does diabetes life expectancy change if you are diagnosed earlier?

[throwthisawayman]

For example, would the avg person diagnosed at 30 live a shorter life than those diagnosed at 45? assuming both keep their blood sugars at a normal level

 

[Guzzler]

That is an impossible question to answer. We, as people with Diabetes are subject to vagaries which means that we are all very different and react differently.

 

[Pipp]

You seem really anxious, @throwthisawayman .
Have you had a diagnosis of diabetes?
Welcome to forum, I am tagging @daisy1, who provides useful information to new members. When she does, have a read, and ask questions. Members here will help when they can.

 

[Grateful]

That's a very good question. I have not seen specific research into that issue. On the whole I agree with @Guzzler that the question is impossible to answer.

One factor that might make it harder for those who are diagnosed earlier is that, because they have to live longer with the disease, they have more time to maintain good control and therefore more chances to fail at doing so. But you have stipulated that good control is maintained in both cases.

In the Success Stories on this forum you will find someone who is doing splendidly and has been Type 1 insulin-dependent for 60 years. While the statistics for "average decrease in life expectancy" for those with diabetes make for grim reading (http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-life-expectancy.html), that is exactly what they are: averages. Awfully hard to translate to individual people.

I like to believe that if I keep firm control of my blood glucose, at below-diabetic levels, my life expectancy has not been affected at all by the fact that I have Type 2 diabetes. It is even possible that it has increased because I "cleaned up my act" with lifestyle changes after the T2D diagnosis.

Who knows?

 

[Deleted member 308541]

I was pronounced a borderline diabetic (pre diabetic in these pc times) when I was 46, I was finally diagnosed as a T2 diabetic when I was 69 three years ago.

I am now nearly 73 and not quite ready for the top paddock just yet.

 

[ringi]

I expect that someone who HAD type2 but now keeps their sugars at a normal level by diet and exercise (not taking any drugs) has a longer life expectancy than the average person. (Lots of people have type2 without knowing about it, hence have none normal BG) I also expect that getting normal BG with metformin being the only drug in use also gives above average life expectancy.

Once other drugs start to be used, then it gets a lot more complex. You also have the issue that "normal BG" is not well defined.

 

[phdiabetic]

It really depends on the individual. It's not possible to always be perfect, but if you keep your blood sugars relatively normal you should have a normal life expectancy. Keeping your blood sugars at normal levels can be challenging though - often it is better to run yourself slightly higher to avoid a hypo. High blood sugar can cause complications later in life, but one bad hypo is enough to kill you, so there's a bit of a trade off. A quote I like: "Well controlled diabetes is the leading cause of nothing"

 

[Guzzler]

Aye, the goalposts are blurry when it comes to tests.

Might I just add that I was diagnosed Type 2 at the age of 58 and I expect to live every hour up to age 90!

 

[QPR4Me]

Was diagnosed as T2 at end of 1986, had a miserable time doing diet control, then the awful Metformin and Chloropropamide thing before moving to Insulin injections in 1989.
Restarted playing football in 1994 (aged 35), fathered 1st daughter in 1996, followed by 2nd in 1997.
Despite some rocky moments throughout, managed to give up smoking in 2003, am loving life and, having dumped Sitagliptin tablets for another injection (Liraglutide) am now 43lb (19.5 kilos) lighter than I was this time last year.
Have also had a huge reduction in HbA1c, and the amount of Insulin I inject, thanks to the change in medication and massive support from my wife of 27 yrs who went lo-carb at the perfect time for me. She does most of the cooking, so I followed with great results.
I don't know about life expectancy etc but I do know that I'm far happier that the fat blob (myself) was a year ago and look forward to hanging around on this planet for as long as possible.
At the age of 58, have got my spark back!

 

[chalup]

You do not say whether you are asking about type 1 or type 2 and I think that makes a difference. Type 1's know fairly quickly that something is wrong and can get treatment right away. Someone can have type 2 for many years before diagnosis without knowing it. A type 2 diagnosed at age 45 may have been diabetic at 30. I agree that there is really no answer to your question. All we can do is do our best to maintain good control and good health.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

Life expectancy for people with type 1 is typically less than for people with type 2. The stats on this site suggest 10 years less than average for type 2 and 20 years less for type 1. This is because type 2 is usually diagnosed in people much older than with type 1.

A lot of things have changed recently with how people treat diabetes. Many people now can reverse type 2 diabetes with diet and lifestyle changes. With better monitoring of type 1, e.g. CGM and better technology such as insulin pumps then type 1 can now be better controlled. We can now expect better outcomes for long term diabetes sufferers.

Many diabetes complications are due to persistent high blood sugars, but the real danger for life expectancy seems to be glucose spikes which cause inflamation in the arteries. The most common causes of death with diabetes is heart disease and strokes. 80% of people with CVD have diabetes or glucose spikes. Reducing glucose spikes by avoiding high carb foods or eating high carb foods last in a meal can reduce glucose spikes. Monitoring which foods cause glucose spikes is important for management of type 2 diabetes. Typically, for type 2, breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta need to be avoided. Also avoid fruit juice and fruit such as bananas and grapes. People with type 1 can take insulin to process glucose from high carb foods. How effectively they do this to avoid spikes and high glucose levels will determine their long term health.

 

[daisy1]

@throwthisawayman

Hello Throwthisawayman and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 250,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[Robkww]

Whatever type you are the sooner you can get the level of control that suits you and helps you live your life to the full the better - the curtain can fall for all sorts of reasons but I'm not aware of statistics being a direct cause.

 

[Grateful]

Just a quick reminder that we don't yet know whether @throwthisawayman even has diabetes. (I base this on a separate thread s/he started elsewhere: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/do-i-have-anything-to-worry-about.128592/#post-1603971). The conversation about life expectancy is very interesting but it might be entirely academic in his/her case.

Here's hoping that s/he gets accurate information from the doctor soon.