Type 2 diabetes is highly prevalent in adolescents and younger children due to obesity and it can lead to the death of individual due to heart attack and stroke.

The study by Professor Dianna Magliano and Professor Jonathan Shaw (Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia) and colleagues analysed the data of 743,709 Australians with T2D who were registered on Australia's National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) over a 15-year period between 1997 and 2011. All-cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and all other causes were identified.
The average (median) age at T2D diagnosis was 59 years, and a total of 115,363 deaths occurred during the study period. The authors say: "An earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes -- and thus a longer duration of disease -- was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, primarily driven by cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality."
The data showed that for two people of the same age, the one with a 10-year earlier diagnosis (equivalent to 10 years' longer duration of diabetes) had a 20% to 30% increased risk of all-cause mortality and about a 60% increased risk of CVD mortality. The effects were similar in men and women.
authors say: "Evidence is accumulating to suggest that earlier onset of type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of complications and comorbidities compared with later onset, and that the development and progression of complications might be more aggressive in those with earlier onset."
They add: "As such, increased clinical attention is imperative for individuals with earlier-onset type 2 diabetes. Efforts should focus on timely optimisation of individuals' self-management skills and medical treatment to prevent or reduce the onset of complications and comorbidities. Additionally, there is a need to identify and screen those at high risk of developing diabetes so that individuals can make lifestyle changes that will prevent or delay the onset of diabetes."
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