Work

Association between younger-onset type 2 diabetes and long-term risk of CVD events: a 34-year follow-up of the Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background and aims: This study aimed to explore whether a younger age of diabetes onset is associated with an increased risk of CVD events. Methods: This study included 621 patients with younger-onset T2DM (age, ≤50 years) and 573 with older-onset T2DM (age, >50 years) from the original Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study. For comparison, 310 younger individuals without diabetes (age, ≤50 years) were included in the control group. We followed up participants for 34 years to assess the incidence of CVD events. The association between the age of diabetes onset and the risk of CVD events was analysed. Results: The younger-onset T2DM patients had a higher incidence of components of CVD events per 1,000 person-years than those of the older-onset T2DM and younger non-diabetes controls (19.20, 15.14, and 9.22 for stroke, 7.78, 4.67, and 2.15 for myocardial infarction, and 5.38, 2.76, and 1.11 for heart failure, respectively). The more than double high risk of composite CVD events was found in the younger-onset T2DM compared with the older-onset T2DM (HR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.64-2.55) and non-diabetic controls (HR = 3.45, 95% CI: 2.39-4.98) even after adjusting for the strongest confounder diabetes duration. Conclusions: Chinese adults with younger-onset T2DM have a higher risk of developing CVD events than those with older-onset T2DM over a 34-year follow-up period.

Source: Endocrine Connections

DOI: 10.1530/ec-25-0927