Life expectancy for adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has markedly improved and should be reflected in insurance policies, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain.
Shona J. Livingstone, from the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom, and colleagues analyzed current life expectancy for 24,971 adults with T1DM living in Scotland in 2008 to 2010.
The researchers found that, for those 20 to 24 years old, the remaining life expectancy was 45.4 and 46.6 years for men and women, respectively, compared with 56.5 and 60.9 years, respectively, for the general population. For those 60 to 69 years old, the remaining life expectancy was 11.7 and 12.5 years for men and women, respectively, compared with 16.8 and 19.3 years, respectively, for the general population. Overall, the difference in life expectancy was higher at 20 to 24 years of age than at 65 to 69 years of age for both men and women.
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“These period life expectancy estimates show that there has been a marked improvement in life expectancy for men and women with T1DM compared with earlier reports,” Livingstone and colleagues conclude. “These improvements should now be reflected in life insurance and other relevant policies for those with T1DM.”
