Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 25: A new study has highlighted stark gender differences in how Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes impact the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, with outcomes varying significantly between men and women. Conducted by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, the study reveals that younger men with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) face higher cardiovascular and mortality risks than those with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), while for women, the reverse is true across most age groups.

The study, which assessed over 400,000 individuals with diabetes aged 18 to 84, found that men under 50 with T2D had particularly poor outcomes. These men faced a 51% higher risk of all cardiovascular diseases, were 2.4 times more likely to suffer a heart attack, and had a 2.2 times higher risk of heart failure compared to their T1D counterparts.

In contrast, women with T1D fared significantly worse than those with T2D. This pattern held true across all age groups, particularly in women over 50, who experienced 34% lower cardiovascular mortality and 19% lower all-cause mortality if they had T2D instead of T1D.

Dr. Vagia Patsoukaki, one of the lead researchers, noted that the increased risks for women with T1D are likely due to early onset of the disease and longer exposure to high blood sugar levels. “They often lose the natural cardiovascular protection that women typically have and tend to receive less aggressive treatment for heart disease compared to men,” she explained.

Meanwhile, younger men with T2D tend to have more aggressive forms of diabetes, coupled with lifestyle-related risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and delayed diagnosis, making their early outcomes particularly severe.

The findings will be presented at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, and are expected to influence future gender-sensitive approaches to diabetes and cardiovascular care.