Higher incidence of cardiovascular-kidney complications in Chinese with youth-onset type 2 diabetes versus youth-onset type 1 diabetes attenuated by control of cardio-metabolic risk factors: A population-based prospective cohort study in Hong Kong.

AIMS

To determine and compare the incidence of diabetes complications in Chinese with youth-onset type 2 and type 1 diabetes.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based prospective cohort study, including 1,260 people with type 2 diabetes and 1,227 with type 1 diabetes diagnosed at age < 20 years who underwent metabolic and complication assessment in Hong Kong Hospital Authority between 2000 and 2018. They were followed for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and all-cause death until 2019. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was applied to compare the risks of these complications in type 2 versus type 1 diabetes.

RESULTS

People with type 1 diabetes (median age: 20 years, median diabetes duration: 9 years) and type 2 diabetes (median age: 21 years, median diabetes duration: 6 years) were followed for a mean period of 9.2 and 8.8 years respectively. The risks of CVD (HR [95 % CI] 1.66 [1.01-2.72]) and ESKD (HR 1.96 [1.27-3.04]) but not death (HR 1.10 [0.72-1.67]) were higher in type 2 versus type 1 diabetes, adjusted for age at diagnosis, diabetes duration and sex. The association became nonsignificant with further adjustment for glycaemic and metabolic control. Youth-onset type 2 diabetes conferred mortality excess (standardized mortality ratio 4.15 [3.28-5.17]) to age- and sex-matched general population.

CONCLUSIONS

People with youth-onset type 2 diabetes had higher incidence rates of CVD and ESKD than type 1 diabetes. The excess risks in type 2 diabetes were removed after adjusted for cardio-metabolic risk factors.