(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows gender matters when it comes to
the risk of dying from diabetes.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did an analysis
of three large databases that included 29 years between 1971 and 2000. Results
show the death rate of men who have diabetes dropped steeply during that period,
but for women, death rates did not decline at all.
Edward Gregg, Ph.D., from the CDC, reported, "The improvements seen in men
suggest that the improvements in diabetes care are working on longevity as well.
But the finding in women is concerning and means we may need to explore whether
different approaches are needed to improve health outcomes for women with
diabetes."
Specifically, researchers found the death rate among men with diabetes fell from
42.6 per 1,000 people to 24.4 per 1,000 people. That translates to a 43-percent
relative reduction in risk of death. Among diabetic men, the death rate from
heart disease -- which is the leading killer among diabetics -- dropped from
26.4 to 12.8. Death rates among women did not drop.
The reasons for the gender disparity are unclear, wrote study authors, as the
study was not designed to determine why there are sex-related differences in
death rates.
"Some studies have suggested women have had less improvement in heart disease
risk factors in recent years. Other studies suggest women receive less
aggressive care for heart disease and risk factors. Still other studies suggest
that heart disease and diabetes may take a subtly different form in women and
that different types of treatments are needed," Dr. Gregg reported in a press
release issued by the American College of Physicians.
Massachusetts General Hospital researcher Deborah Wexler, M.D., told Ivanhoe she
saw another interesting possibility in the data presented in the study. She
noted the poverty income ratios for men with diabetes decreased during the study
period, from 25.2 to 17.2, while the poverty income ratios for women with
diabetes increased slightly, from 27.2 to 29.8.
"Poverty may be a very important confounder of increased mortality risk," Dr.
Wexler said. Though the study authors suggest the differences in how doctors
treat patients of each gender may, in part, explain the gap, Dr. Wexler said
there is another explanation. "This study really suggests that might not have
been the doctors at all, that this really is a socio-economic issue."
Dr. Wexler is part of the Diabetes Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in
Boston. She was not a part of this study but has previously published research
on gender disparities in diabetes care.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Deborah Wexler, M.D.; Annals of Internal
Medicine, published online June 18, 2007
