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life expectancy

D

dingbat

Well-Known Member
Messages
48
is the life expectancy of an average type 1 diabetic with reasonable control reduced significantly due to the condition.? (and should I cancel my pension)
 
No to both questions

Know several T1 diabetics that are well past retirement age, collecting their pensions on a weekly bases, and just as active as me...

And just think when they became a diabetic, there were no such thing as home testing urine or otherwise!
 
There is a lady in the US, Gladys C. Lester Dull who became diabetic in 1924 aged 6. Insulin had only been discovered three years earlier. After 8 decades with diabetes she celebrated her 90th birthday in 2007.
So don't cancel your pension, you might need it for a long time!
 
I'm sure the lifespan for T1's now should in theory be greater with the improved insulins, better knowledge and understanding , blood sugar testing, pumps and other drugs such as statins but in all of the time i've had T1 myself this is something that never really seems to get mentioned or talked about. Similarly, neither do the number of deaths caused by dka, hypoglycaemia and other other diabetes complications. I was told recently by a diabetes research nurse that hospitals have more admissions due to dka as opposed to hypoglycaemia and worryingly more and more repeat cases of dka requiring a hospital admission.

Richard Hill
Northampton
Diagnosed January 1986
 
i was really freaked out when i saw the life expectancy item, that said that being type one can reduce your life expectancy by 20 years! it really did shake me up. but that was my initial reaction. i suppose that is the worst case scenario. i suppose its all about how you look after yourself, which effects anyones life expectancy, diabetic or not.
 
Dont be disheartened by statistics they dont take everything into account. Non diabetics can die young the same as diabetics can live to a ripe old age.
If theres one thing ive learnt its to make the most of life and enjoy it as much as you can.
Stressing about it is just as bad for you.

Dont let the doomsayers wear you down.

Pef
 
Here's a thought I posted on our Facebook page:

The 20 years is an average life expectancy reduction. There are sadly many people who don't receive the right advice, or at least struggle to take it on which could be one reason for why this figure is so high. Also, with the improvements in testing and better technology like faster insulins and insulin pumps, we may see this '20 years' average significantly reduced in future (ie during our lifetime).
Click to expand...

Worth posting just as there are diabetics who don't get the right advice.

Teenagers and young people tend to go through these years (often well over a decade) with sadly pretty terrible HbA1c figures over 9% and all too often going through long periods over 10,11,12,14%...

Bearing this in mind, it's no wonder the ~average~ life expectancy is significantly reduced :(

Information and application is so key I guess -as is good psychological support I'd say.
 
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