Men With Diabetes More Likely To Suffer From Complications Than Women

Maintaining vigilant management of diabetes is crucial to prevent severe complications. Recent research indicates that men with diabetes may benefit from more tailored care and interventions to mitigate their risks.

Key Points to Consider:

• Increased Risks for Men: A recent study revealed that men with diabetes face higher risks compared to women for various complications. These include heart attacks, strokes, eye and kidney problems, and in severe instances, amputation.
• Complications Over Time: The likelihood of experiencing complications escalates the longer a person lives with diabetes. Continuous monitoring and management are essential to minimize these risks.
• Behavioral Factors: Men may experience more complications partly due to behavioral factors. They are often less likely to adhere to medication regimens or seek regular medical advice, leading to poorer health outcomes.

Overall, these findings underscore the necessity for men with diabetes to receive more personalized and proactive healthcare to better manage their condition and reduce the risk of complications.

According to a comprehensive long-term study published on May 16 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, men face a significantly higher risk of severe health complications from both type 1 and type 2 diabetes compared to women.

Emma Cox, a PhD candidate at the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney and one of the study’s coauthors, reports that diabetic men have up to a 50 percent increased likelihood of developing serious conditions. These conditions include cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, as well as leg and foot problems, which can range from neuropathy, characterized by numbness, to severe cases requiring amputations. Furthermore, men are more prone to kidney complications and diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness.

“Complication rates increased with the duration of diabetes, yet the disparity between men and women remained consistent. This highlights the need for complication screening and prevention strategies from the time of diabetes diagnosis,” Cox said.

Approximately 38 million people in the United States, or 11.6 percent of the population, are estimated to have diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, is nearly identical between genders, affecting around 20 million men and 18 million women.

Study Monitored 25,000 Individuals for 10 Years for Further Complications

To investigate the prevalence of diabetes complications and their relation to gender, researchers utilized data from the Australian 45 and Up Study. This extensive prospective study involves over 250,000 individuals aged 45 and older in New South Wales. By linking survey responses with medical records, the researchers discovered that approximately 10 percent of participants had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Over a decade, the researchers closely monitored the diabetic participants to identify the development of major health complications associated with diabetes. These included cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, ocular problems like cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, nerve damage, minor and major amputations, and kidney disorders. The long-term study provided valuable insights into how these serious health issues varied between men and women with diabetes.

Men Were More Than 50 Percent Likelier to Develop Cardiovascular Diseases

After accounting for age, the researchers discovered that men with diabetes were significantly more likely to experience various serious health complications compared to women. Specifically, men were 51 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, 47 percent more likely to suffer from leg and foot complications, 55 percent more likely to encounter kidney issues, and 14 percent more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy.

The study also revealed that the risk of complications increased for both men and women based on the duration they had lived with diabetes. However, despite this common trend, men consistently faced a higher risk of developing these complications throughout the duration of their condition.

“While the rates of complications are slightly lower amongst women, it is still important to note that rates of complications are very high in both sexes,” said the lead author, Alice Gibson, PhD, a researcher at the Charles Perkins Center.

Dr. Gibson notes that these figures only include participants who had no complications at the start of the study, excluding those with preexisting or multiple complications. Therefore, the actual burden of complications in people with diabetes is likely much higher than what this study indicates.

Importance of Individualized, Comprehensive Care for Diabetics

“The biggest takeaway is that diabetes significantly increases the risk of complications, and that to reduce the risk of micro and macrovascular complications, we need individualized and comprehensive care,” Marilyn Tan, MD, an associate professor of medicine and an endocrinologist at Stanford Health Care in California who was part of the study, said.

Dr. Tan emphasizes that while the study revealed significant gender differences in the risk of diabetes complications, it is important to consider that some major risk factors were not included in the research.

“Critically, this study did not take into account glycemic control, lipid control, blood pressure control, and use of medications, including those which may increase or decrease cardiovascular risk,” she said.

The authors recognized that the exclusion of certain risk factors and individuals with a history of complications is a limitation of the study. Dr. Tan also pointed out that the findings are constrained by the nature of the data utilized. Many diabetes complications may not appear in hospitalization claims, meaning this study might overlook those cases. Consequently, the data may not capture the full extent of diabetes-related health issues.

Men Less Likely to Take Meds or Get Regular Checkups

The authors propose several theories to explain the differences in risk between men and women. One key observation, as noted by Dr. Gibson, is that men in the study were about 50 percent more likely to have preexisting heart disease. This preexisting condition could contribute significantly to their heightened risk of complications.

Dr. Gibson suggests that men in the United States likely face similar increased risks. She points out that men in both countries may be less inclined to adopt lifestyle changes, take preventive medications, or undergo regular health check-ups to mitigate their risks. This reluctance to engage in proactive health measures could further explain why men are more susceptible to severe diabetes-related complications.

“Studies from both countries have shown that men are more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol, poor diabetes control, be overweight, and to smoke, which are well known risk factors for complications of diabetes,” Gibson said.

Gibson highlights that there are also protective factors in women, such as breastfeeding and the use of hormone replacement therapy, which might have played a role in the observed sex differences.