Although it is clear that survival in type 1 diabetes has improved over time, relatively little is known about the impact on life expectancy. In a recent study published in Diabetes, researchers reported that life expectancy has increased significantly for children (less than 17 years of age) diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Rachel G Miller and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh compared the life expectancy of two sub-cohorts of people with childhood-onset diabetes based on the year of diabetes diagnosis (1950 to 1964 [390 people] and 1965 to 1980 [543 people]).
The life expectancy of individuals diagnosed between 1965 and 1980 was approximately 15 years greater than for those diagnosed between 1950 and 1964 – “a significant improvement”, the authors commented.
