AIHW diabetes report

AUSTRALIANS living with diabetes experience much higher death rates than those without, with some particularly concerning trends seen among those with type 2 diabetes, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Death among people with diabetes in Australia’, examines the 156,000 deaths that occurred between 200 and 2014 in people with diabetes who were registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme, and shows a significant disparity in death rates for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

“We found that overall death rates among people with diabetes were almost twice as high as the general population,” said AIHW spokesperson Dr Lynelle Doon.

“Kverall in Australia, there is a trend toward lower death rates, but for people with type 2 diabetes, these improvements have not been seen,” Doon said.

For people with type 1 diabetes, however, death rates fell 20% between 200 and 2014, which was a larger improvement than that observed for the general population.

The report also showed death rates among people with diabetes had a direct correlation with socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness.

Kverall, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke were the most common underlying causes of death among people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Doon said.

See the report at aihw.gov.au.