Age, cardiac death study

NEW YORK: People younger than 50 with diabetes have a seven-times higher risk of dying from sudden cardiac death, research suggests.

And their risk of dying from any kind of heart disease is eight times higher than for those without diabetes, the Danish study also found.

“It is important that healthcare providers are aware that young patients with diabetes have an elevated risk of mortality and that this is mainly explained by an increased risk of sudden cardiac death,” said the study’s lead author Jesper Svane.

Sudden cardiac death is caused by malfunctions in the heart’s electrical system. It often occurs without warning, according to the American Heart Association.

The 10-year study included health information from all Danes between 1 and 35 years old in 2000-2009 and from those 36 to 49 years old in 2007-2009.

Of more than 14 000 people who died, 5% had diabetes, according to the study. Almost 500 of them had type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease.

And nearly 200 who died had type 2 diabetes, generally linked to excess weight.

Overall, the researchers found, people with diabetes had a five times higher mortality rate than people without diabetes.

More specifically, they found, death from heart disease was five times higher in people with type 2 diabetes, and 12 times higher in people with type 1 diabetes.