Almost 4 in 10 with type 1 diabetes were diagnosed in adulthood
Peak diagnosis age was approximately 15 years, and the median age of diagnosis was 24 years, but 37% of adults with type 1 diabetes reported having been diagnosed after age 30 years in a recent study.
Nearly four in 10 adults with type 1 diabetes were diagnosed after age 30 years, a recent study found, with the age of diagnosis particularly elevated among men and non-White patients.
Researchers analyzed data from the 2016 to 2022 cycles of the National Health Interview Survey to characterize the age distribution of type 1 diabetes diagnoses in the United States, overall and according to demographic and clinical characteristics. Demographic and medical information, including history of diabetes, was collected through interviews. Patients reported diabetes type, use of insulin, and age at diagnosis. Results were published as a letter Sept. 26 in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Among 947 patients with type 1 diabetes, 37% reported having been diagnosed after age 30 years. Peak diagnosis age was approximately 15 years, and the median age of diagnosis was 24 years. The authors also found that the age of diagnosis was older in men than in women (median age, 27 vs. 22 years) and among those of a racial/ethnic minority compared to non-Hispanic White adults (median age, 26 to 30 vs. 21 years).
The authors noted that adult-onset type 1 diabetes often presents with mild symptoms that make it a challenge to distinguish from type 2 diabetes. “Autoantibody and C-peptide testing are recommended for diagnosis in adults suspected of having type 1 diabetes. However, how to best identify high-risk adults remains unclear,” they wrote. “Traditional markers used to differentiate type 1 and type 2 diabetes, such as body mass index, may have limited utility, especially because obesity is now common in the type 1 diabetes population. Novel risk scores that combine clinical features and relevant biomarkers may improve type 1 diabetes diagnoses in adults.”