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(HealthDay News) Men with diabetes are at higher risk for complications than women, regardless of how long they've had the disease, according to a study published online May 16. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Alice A. Gibson of the University of Sydney and colleagues investigated sex differences in the development of micro- and macrovascular complications in adults with diabetes. The analysis included 25,713 study participants aged 45 years or older (those with diabetes).
The researchers found that age-adjusted incidence rates were 37 per 1,000 person-years for cardiovascular disease (CVD), 52 for eye disease, 21 for lower limb disease, and 32 for kidney disease. Compared with women, men were at higher risk for CVD (adjusted hazard ratio 0.0116-0.0155). [aHR]There was an increased risk of vascular endothelial (aHR, 1.51), lower limb (aHR, 1.47), renal complications (aHR, 1.55), and diabetic retinopathy (aHR, 1.14). Over a 10-year period, 44% of men experienced a CVD complication, 57% had an ocular complication, 25% had a lower limb complication, and 35% had a renal complication, compared with 31, 61, 18, and 25% of women, respectively. Diabetes duration (<10 years vs. ≥10 years) did not substantially affect sex differences in complications.
“Given the high incidence of complications in both men and women, this study highlights the importance of targeted comorbidity screening and prevention strategies starting from the time of diagnosis,” the authors wrote.