Age at diagnosis may influence long-term outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A population-based analysis published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice evaluated how age at T2DM diagnosis relates to mortality and lifetime health loss in South Asian populations.

The analysis used data from the CARRS cohort, including 21,574 participants with a mean age of 43.3 years, of whom 6,265 had diabetes. T2DM was defined using self-report, glucose-lowering medication use, or glycemic thresholds. Participants were grouped by age at diagnosis (20-29, 30-39, 40-59, and ≥60 years). Time-dependent Cox regression models were applied, using individuals without diabetes as the reference group. Model-based estimates were used to quantify years of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and excess life-years lost (LYL).

Over a median follow-up of 8.7 years, 2,163 deaths were recorded. Younger age at diagnosis corresponded to higher risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Adjusted HRs for all-cause mortality were 2.98 (95% CI 1.60-5.54) for diagnosis at 20-29 years, 2.28 (1.74-2.98) at 30-39 years, 1.73 (1.47-2.04) at 40-59 years, and 1.61 (1.30-1.99) at ≥60 years. Projected lifetime DALYs were highest with younger diagnosis, ranging from 24.5 to 5.5 years. Similar patterns were observed for excess LYL and cardiovascular events across age groups.

Earlier diagnosis of T2DM was associated with higher mortality and greater lifetime health loss in this population. These findings should be interpreted in the context of the observational design and model-based projections.