From the Guidelines
Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in individuals under the age of 18, with approximately three-quarters of all cases diagnosed in this age group, and the average age of diagnosis being around 14 years old, as indicated by recent studies 1. The diagnosis of type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, from infancy to adulthood, with some individuals being diagnosed later in life, even after the age of 18.
- The disease results from an autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, leading to insulin deficiency, and is not related to lifestyle factors such as diet or exercise.
- Recent data using genetic risk scoring suggests that over 40% of patients with autoimmune diabetes are diagnosed over the age of 30 years, highlighting the importance of considering type 1 diabetes in adults as well 1.
- The autoimmune process can develop over months or years before symptoms appear, and genetic predisposition combined with environmental triggers likely plays a role in its development.
- Maintaining healthy habits remains important for disease management, and a multidisciplinary team of specialists trained in pediatric diabetes management and sensitive to the challenges of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their families should provide care for this population, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association 1. Some key points to consider in the management of type 1 diabetes include:
- The importance of diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), medical nutrition therapy, and psychosocial support, which should be provided at diagnosis and regularly thereafter in a developmentally appropriate format 1.
- The need for a firm educational base to be provided so that the individual and family can become increasingly independent in the self-management of diabetes, as emphasized in the standards of medical care in diabetes 1.
- The importance of considering the unique aspects of care and management of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, such as changes in insulin sensitivity related to physical growth and sexual maturation, ability to provide self-care, supervision in the child care and school environment, and neurological vulnerability to hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in young children, as highlighted in recent studies 1.
From the Research
Average Age in Type 1 Diabetes
- The average age of patients with type 1 diabetes is not explicitly stated in the provided studies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, study 4 mentions that the mean age at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes was 12.0 ± 4.0 years, and the current mean age of the patients was 21.2 ± 3.0 years.
- Study 3 includes children with type 1 diabetes older than 4 years of age, with a minimum diabetes duration of 2 years, but does not provide a specific average age.
- The other studies 2, 5, 6 do not provide information on the average age of patients with type 1 diabetes.
Age-Related Factors
- Study 4 found that younger age at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes was associated with poorer glycemic control at young adulthood, independent of recognized confounding risk factors.
- The study also found that female patients diagnosed at a young age had an older metabolic age, indicating the need for lifestyle alteration to improve their basal metabolic rate 4.
- Study 3 compared insulin detemir and glargine in children with type 1 diabetes, but did not investigate the effect of age on the outcome.