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Type 1 diabetics experience major life expectancy gains

Category: Diabetes

Thanks in part to improvements in insulin testing and treatment, the average life expectancy for individuals with type 1 diabetes grew at a faster rate than it did for the general population between the 1960s and 1980s, according to a new study presented at the Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

After reviewing the findings of a pervious study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found that the average life expectancy of a person diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 1965 and 1980 was 68.8 years. This was an increase of 15 years over the life expectancy of individuals diagnosed with the condition between 1950 and 1964, who lived an average of slightly more than 53 years.

Comparatively, during this time period the average life expectancy in the general population only increased by one year.

Furthermore, the 30-year mortality rate for a person with type 1 diabetes dropped from 35.6 percent to 11.6 percent.

The researchers said that their findings provide one of the first looks into the gains in life expectancye specific to individuals with type 1 diabetes.