SURVIVAL-TIME AFTER ONSET OF DIABETES - 29-YEAR FOLLOW-UP MORTALITY STUDY IN A DIABETES COHORT FROM A RURAL DISTRICT

In order to evaluate various influences on survival time after onset o f diabetes, a 29-year follow-up study was conducted in the 166 diabeti c patients who were newly diagnosed between May lst, 1962, and April 3 0th, 1963, in the rural district of Neustrelitz. Their mean age at ons et was 63 (15-81) years, sex ratio was 2.5 (females: males). 27 % of t he patients were initially treated with insulin, 73 % were on diet alo ne or on diet plus oral antidiabetic druge. There were 18 drop-outs. - Checkup of mortality was peformed at 3-year intervals. Shortening of life expectancy was calculated by comparison of their survival time to the life expectancy of the general population of the former German De mocratic Republic with reference upon age and sex. - Results: Seven ou t of the remaining 148 study patients (4.7 %) with an age at onset bet ween 15 and 60 were alive. 19 % of the patients had either reached or exceeded the life expectancy of the general population. The average lo ss in life expectancy in the deceased patients amounted to 5.3 years i n males and to 6.4 years in females. The shortening of life expectancy decreased with increasing age at onset. Both underweight (BMI < 20) a nd extreme obesity (BMI > 40) were associated with a higher loss in li fe expectancy (14.7 vs. 10.8 yrs.) Also the survival time was not sign ificantly different in dependence on the nature of treatment and on th e circumstances of detection of the disease.Conclusion: only 19 % of d iabetic patients may expect a ''normal'' survival time. Shortening of life expectancy seems mainly to be connected to age at onset and to ex treme deviations in body weight.