Dataset Information

Decreases in diabetes-free life expectancy in the U.S. and the role of obesity.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

With increasing life expectancy in the U.S., it is important to know whether a longer life expectancy means a longer healthy life span or a prolonged period of later-life morbidity. This study examines changes in lifetime without diabetes, a leading cause of morbidity in later life.

Research design and methods

Using demographic methods and nationally representative data, we estimated changes in diabetes-free life expectancy between 1980-1989 and 2000-2004 for adult men and women in the U.S., estimated the contribution of changes in age-specific diabetes rates, and examined the changing effects of weight status on diabetes risks.

Results

While life expectancy at age 18 for men and women increased between the 1980s and the 2000s, diabetes-free life expectancy at age 18 decreased by 1.7 years for men and 1.5 years for women. The proportion of 18-year-olds who would develop diabetes in their lifetimes increased by almost 50% among women and almost doubled among men. Obese individuals experienced the greatest losses in diabetes-free life expectancy during this period, estimated at 5.6 years for men and 2.5 years for women.

Conclusions

Diabetes-free life expectancy decreased for both men and women between 1980-1989 and 2000-2004, and these decreases are almost entirely attributable to large increases in diabetes incidence among obese individuals.

SUBMITTER: Cunningham SA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3177736 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Decreases in diabetes-free life expectancy in the U.S. and the role of obesity.

Cunningham Solveig A SA Riosmena Fernando F Wang Jing J Boyle James P JP Rolka Deborah B DB Geiss Linda S LS

Diabetes care 20111001 10

<h4>Objective</h4>With increasing life expectancy in the U.S., it is important to know whether a longer life expectancy means a longer healthy life span or a prolonged period of later-life morbidity. This study examines changes in lifetime without diabetes, a leading cause of morbidity in later life.<h4>Research design and methods</h4>Using demographic methods and nationally representative data, we estimated changes in diabetes-free life expectancy between 1980-1989 and 2000-2004 for adult men a ...[more]

PMID: 21949220

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundType 2 diabetes (T2D) causes substantial disease burden and is projected to affect an increasing number of people in coming decades. This study provides projected estimates of life years free of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and years of life lost ([Formula: see text]) associated with T2D for Germany in the years 2015 and 2040.MethodsBased on an illness-death model and the associated mathematical relation between prevalence, incidence and mortality, we projected the prevalence of diagnosed T2D using currently available data on the incidence rate of diagnosed T2D and mortality rates of people with and without diagnosed T2D. Projection of prevalence was achieved by integration of a partial differential equation, which governs the illness-death model. These projected parameters were used as input values to calculate life years free of T2D and [Formula: see text] associated with T2D for the German population aged 40 to 100 years in the years 2015 and 2040, while accounting for different assumptions on future trends in T2D incidence and mortality.ResultsAssuming a constant incidence rate, women and men at age 40 years in 2015 will live approximately 38 years and 33 years free of T2D, respectively. Up to the year 2040, these numbers are projected to increase by 1.0 years and 1.3 years. Assuming a decrease in T2D-associated excess mortality of 2% per year, women and men aged 40 years with T2D in 2015 will be expected to lose 1.6 and 2.7 years of life, respectively, compared to a same aged person without T2D. In 2040, these numbers would reduce by approximately 0.9 years and 1.6 years. This translates to 10.8 million and 6.4 million [Formula: see text] in the German population aged 40-100 years with prevalent T2D in 2015 and 2040, respectively.ConclusionsGiven expected trends in mortality and no increase in T2D incidence, the burden due to premature mortality associated with T2D will decrease on the individual as well as on the population level. In addition, the expected lifetime without T2D is likely to increase. However, these trends strongly depend on future improvements of excess mortality associated with T2D and future incidence of T2D, which should motivate increased efforts of primary and tertiary prevention.

Dataset Information

Decreases in diabetes-free life expectancy in the U.S. and the role of obesity.

Objective

Research design and methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Decreases in diabetes-free life expectancy in the U.S. and the role of obesity.

Similar Datasets

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