̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Emanuele Di Angelantonio

Type 2 diabetes diagnosis at age 30 can reduce life expectancy by up to 14 years

cjb250 — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 09:00:51 +0000

Even people who do not develop the condition until later in life – with a diagnosis at age 50 years – could see their life expectancy fall by up to six years, an analysis of data from 19 high-income countries found.

̽��ֱ��researchers say the findings, published in ̽��ֱ��Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, highlight the urgent need to develop and implement interventions that prevent or delay onset of diabetes, especially as the prevalence of diabetes among younger adults is rising globally.

Increasing levels of obesity, poor diet and increased sedentary behaviour are driving a rapid rise in the number of cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide. In 2021, 537 million adults were estimated to have diabetes worldwide, with an increasing number diagnosed at younger ages.

Type 2 diabetes increases an individual’s risk of a range of complications including heart attack and stroke, kidney problems, and cancer. Previous estimates have suggested that adults with type 2 diabetes die, on average, six years earlier than adults without diabetes. There is uncertainty, however, about how this average reduction in life expectancy varies according to age at diagnosis.

To answer this question, a team led by scientists at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and ̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow examined data from two major international studies – the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration and UK Biobank – comprising a total of 1.5 million individuals.

̽��ֱ��earlier an individual was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the greater the reduction in their life expectancy. Overall, every decade of earlier diagnosis of diabetes was associated with about four years of reduced life expectancy.

Using data from US population it was estimated that, individuals with type 2 diabetes diagnosed at ages 30, 40, and 50 years died on average about 14, 10, and 6 years earlier, respectively, than individuals without the condition. These estimates were slightly higher in women (16, 11, and 7 years, respectively) than they were in men (14, 9, and 5 years, respectively).

̽��ֱ��findings were broadly similar in analyses using EU data, with corresponding estimates being about 13, 9, or 5 years earlier death on average.

Professor Emanuele Di Angelantonio from the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute (VPD-HLRI), ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “Type 2 diabetes used to be seen as a disease that affected older adults, but we’re increasingly seeing people diagnosed earlier in life. As we’ve shown, this means they are at risk of a much shorter life expectancy than they would otherwise have.”

Dr Stephen Kaptoge, also from the VPD-HLRI, said: “Type 2 diabetes can be prevented if those at greatest risk can be identified and offered support – whether that’s to make changes to their behaviour or to provide medication to lower their risk. But there are also structural changes that we as a society should be pursuing, including relating to food manufacturing, changes to the built environment to encourage more physical activity, and so on.

“Given the impact type 2 diabetes will have on people’s lives, preventing – or at least delaying the onset – of the condition should be an urgent priority.”

̽��ֱ��researchers found that the majority of the reduction in life expectancy associated with diabetes was due to ‘vascular deaths’ – deaths related to conditions such as heart attack, stroke and aneurysms. Other complications such as cancer also contributed to lowering life expectancy.

Professor Naveed Sattar from the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, ̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow, added: “Our findings support the idea that the younger an individual is when they develop type 2 diabetes, the more damage their body accumulates from its impaired metabolism. But the findings also suggest that early detection of diabetes by screening followed by intensive glucose management could help prevent long-term complications from the condition.”

̽��ֱ��Cambridge team was supported by the Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Health Data Research UK and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

Reference
Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration. Life expectancy associated with different ages at diagnosis of diabetes: 23 million person-years of observation. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology; 11 Sept 2023; DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00223-1

An individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 30 years could see their life expectancy fall by as much as 14 years, an international team of researchers has warned.

Given the impact type 2 diabetes will have on people’s lives, preventing – or at least delaying the onset – of the condition should be an urgent priority

Stephen Kaptoge

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Man using blood sugar measurement device to monitor diabetes - stock photo

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Cambridge researchers elected to Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship 2023

lw355 — Thu, 18 May 2023 08:00:52 +0000

̽��ֱ��new Fellows have been elected to the Academy in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science, cutting-edge research discoveries and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.

They join a prestigious Fellowship of 1,400 esteemed researchers who are central to the Academy’s work. This includes providing career support to the next generation of researchers and contributing to the Academy’s influential policy work to improve health in the UK and globally.

Professor Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “These new Fellows are pioneering biomedical research and driving life-saving improvements in healthcare. It’s a pleasure to recognise and celebrate their exceptional talent by welcoming them to the Fellowship.

“This year, we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. ̽��ֱ��Fellowship is our greatest asset, and their broad expertise and dynamic ability has shaped the Academy to become the influential, expert voice of health. As we look to the future, the collective wisdom our new Fellows bring will be pivotal in achieving our mission to create an open and progressive research sector to improve the health of people everywhere.”

̽��ֱ��new Cambridge Fellows are:

Professor Charlotte Coles FMedSci

Professor of Breast Cancer Clinical Oncology, Department of Oncology, NIHR Research Professor and Director of Cancer Research UK RadNet Cambridge

Professor Coles leads practice-changing breast radiotherapy trials, has influenced international hypofractionation policy and is addressing global health, gender and equity challenges within the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission.

“It’s an honour to be elected as a new Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. This is a result of research collaborations in Cambridge, the UK and internationally and I’d like to thank these wonderful colleagues, especially patient advocates,” said Coles.

“I hope to contribute to the Academy’s work to increase equity, diversity and inclusion within leadership roles, including lower- and middle-income countries, to enrich research and improve the culture in Medical Sciences.”

Professor Emanuele Di Angelantonio FMedSci

Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Donor Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, and Head of Health Data Science Centre, Human Technopole (Milan)

Professor Di Angelantonio’s research has focused on addressing major clinical and public health priorities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and transfusion medicine. His election recognises his many contributions both in helping resolve important controversies in CVD prevention strategies and in improving the safety and efficiency of blood donation.

“I am delighted and honoured to be elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences, which I recognise is an outcome of the collaborations with many colleagues in UK and worldwide,” said Di Angelantonio.

“Research excellence across medical sciences and translation to health improvements has been at the centre of the Academy’s mission and I am very pleased to now be able to contribute to fulfilling this aim as a Fellow.”

Dr Rita Horvath FMedSci

Director of Research in Genetics of Rare Neurological Disorders in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Honorary Consultant in Neurology

Dr Horvath is an academic neurologist using genomics and biochemistry to diagnose rare, inherited neurological disorders, with a focus on mitochondrial diseases. Throughout her career she has combined fundamental experimental work with clinical studies. She pioneered the development and implementation of next generation sequencing in the diagnosis of rare neurogenetic diseases in the UK, leading to precision genetic approaches. She has established extensive international collaborations, having impact in Europe, but also for underserved groups in countries where such expertise is lacking.

“I am delighted and honoured to be elected to this Fellowship, which recognises the impact of my work. I would not have achieved it without the support of my excellent colleagues and research team, for which I give my sincere thanks,” said Horvath.

“As a Hungarian woman working in different countries before I arrived in the UK in 2007, I feel particularly proud of this award, which I recognise is an outcome of the open and fair research environment in Cambridge. This Fellowship enables me to further expand my research to develop effective treatments for patients with rare inherited neurological diseases.”

Professor Eric Miska FMedSci

Herchel Smith Chair of Molecular Genetics and Head of Department of Biochemistry, Affiliated Senior Group Leader at the Gurdon Institute, Associate Faculty at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Fellow of St John’s College

Professor Miska is a molecular geneticist who has carried out pioneering work on RNA biology. His work led to fundamentally new insights into how small RNA molecules control our genes and protect organisms from selfish genes and viruses, and how RNA can carry heritable information across generations. Miska is Founder and Director of STORM Therapeutics Ltd, which creates novel therapies that inhibit RNA modifying enzymes for use in oncology and other diseases.

“Wonderful recognition of the work of an amazing team of researchers I have the pleasure to work with,” said Miska. “Most of our research has been done using the roundworm C. elegans. As Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in Thus Spoke Zarathustra: ‘You have evolved from worm to man, but much within you is still worm’.”

Professor Serena Nik-Zainal FMedSci

NIHR Research Professor, Professor of Genomic Medicine and Bioinformatics, Department of Medical Genetics and Early Cancer Institute, and Honorary Fellow of Murray Edwards College

Professor Nik-Zainal’s research is focused on investigating the vast number of mutations that occur in human DNA from birth, causing patterns called ‘mutational signatures’, and the associated physiological changes to cellular function, in progressive diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration. She uses a combination of experimental and computational methods to understand biology and to develop clinical tests for early detection and precision diagnostics. Her team also builds computational tools to enable genomic advances become more accessible across the NHS.

“What an honour it is to be elected to the Fellowship. This is a wonderful recognition of the work from my team,” said Nik-Zainal. “We are thrilled and hugely indebted to all our inspiring collaborators, supporters and patients, who have shared in our passion and joined us on our path, exploring biomedical science and translating insights into patient benefit.”

Professor Julian Rayner FMedSci

Director of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, School of Clinical Medicine, Honorary Faculty at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and Director of Wellcome Connecting Science

Professor Rayner’s research has made significant contributions to our understanding of how malaria parasites recognise and invade human red blood cells to cause disease. His work has helped to identify new vaccine targets, such as a protein essential for red blood cell invasion that is now in early stage human vaccine testing, and inform antimalarial drug development, through co-leading the first ever genome-scale functional screens in malaria parasites. He collaborates closely with researchers in malaria-endemic countries and is strongly committed to engaging public audiences with the process and outcomes of science.

“Malaria is a devastating and too often forgotten disease that still kills more than half a million children every year. Tackling it requires deep collaboration and working across disciplines. I’m enormously honoured by this announcement, which reflects not my work but the work of all the talented people I’ve been lucky enough to host in my lab, and collaborations with friends and colleagues across the world,” said Rayner.

“I’m excited to become a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences because I strongly share their conviction that science is not just for scientists. I believe that dialogue, learning and public engagement are all fundamental and essential parts of the research process, and I look forward to contributing to their leading role in these areas.”

Professor James Rowe FMedSci

Professor of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Professor Rowe leads a highly interdisciplinary research team at the Cambridge Centre for Frontotemporal Dementia and at Dementias Platform UK to improve the diagnosis and treatment of people affected by dementia. His work integrates cognitive neuroscience, brain imaging, fluidic biomarkers, computational models and neuropathology for experimental medicine studies and clinical trials. He is motivated by his busy clinical practice and the need for better diversity and inclusivity throughout medical research.

“I am delighted and honoured to be elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. It is a testament to the many wonderful colleagues and students I have been fortunate to work with, and to inspirational mentors,” said Rowe.

“Research excellence, and translation of research for direct human benefit, comes from innovation and collaboration in diverse cross-disciplinary teams. I believe in the vision and values of the Academy as the route to better health for all.”

In addition, two researchers from the wider community have also been elected:

Dr Trevor Lawley FMedSci, Senior Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute and Chief Scientific Officer, Microbiotica

Professor Ben Lehner FRS FMedSci, Senior Group Leader, Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Seven Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� researchers are among the 59 biomedical and health researchers elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship.

As we look to the future, the collective wisdom our new Fellows bring will be pivotal in achieving our mission to create an open and progressive research sector to improve the health of people everywhere

Professor Dame Anne Johnson, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences

Clockwise from top left: E. Di Angelantonio, J. Rayner, J. Rowe, R. Horvath, S. Nik-Zainal, E. Miska, C. Coles

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New risk calculator to help save many more lives from heart attack and stroke

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 23:12:13 +0000

̽��ֱ��risk calculator, SCORE2, will be adopted by the upcoming European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice, and enables doctors across Europe to predict who’s at risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years with greater accuracy.

̽��ֱ��researchers say this new prediction tool will help save many more people across Europe from having a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke, ultimately saving lives. People who are flagged as having an increased risk can be put on personalised preventative treatment, such a statins, or will receive lifestyle advice to lower their risk.

Researchers from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge played a leading role in a major collaborative effort involving around 200 investigators to develop SCORE2. Researchers across Europe analysed data from nearly 700,000 participants - mostly middle-aged - from 45 different studies. ̽��ֱ��tool has also been tailored for use in different European countries.

Participants had no prior history of heart and circulatory disease when they were recruited to the studies, and in the 10 years they were followed up, 30,000 had a ‘cardiovascular event’ – including fatal or non-fatal heart attack or stroke.

̽��ֱ��risk tool was then statistically ‘recalibrated’, by using regional-specific cardiovascular and risk factor data from 10.8 million people, to more accurately estimate cardiovascular risk for populations split into four European risk regions. ̽��ֱ��tool uses known risk factors for heart and circulatory diseases such as age, sex, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and smoking.

This is a much-needed upgrade from the previous prediction tool that was developed using data before 1986 and underestimated the cardiovascular risk in some countries. ̽��ֱ��new SCORE2 risk calculator now accounts for current trends in heart and circulatory diseases, can predict both fatal and non-fatal conditions and is adaptable to countries with different levels of risk.

̽��ֱ��researchers say that this upgrade will better estimate the cardiovascular risk amongst younger people, and will improve how treatment is tailored for older people and those in high-risk regions across Europe.

Professor Emanuele Di Angelantonio at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence, said: “This risk tool is much more powerful and superior than what doctors have used for decades. It will fit seamlessly into current prevention programmes with substantial real-world impact by improving the prevention of cardiovascular diseases across Europe before they strike.”

Dr Lisa Pennells, also at Cambridge’s BHF Centre of Research Excellence, said: “This project was a highly collaborative effort that has brought together key experts and extensive data sources to develop improved risk prediction tools for cardiovascular disease for use across the UK and Europe.

“A key feature is that our calculators are relevant to current day rates of cardiovascular disease in different regions of Europe. Importantly, our methods allow them to be easily updated using routinely collected data in the future to ensure they stay relevant as trends in heart and circulatory diseases change.”

This study was carried out by the SCORE2 Working Group and the European Society of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk Collaboration. It was supported by organisations including the British Heart Foundation, the Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and Health Data Research UK.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the BHF and cardiologist, said: “Heart and circulatory diseases are the world’s biggest killers, impacting the lives of 7.6 million people across the UK alone.

“This new risk tool is a major advance and will save many more people from developing heart attacks, stroke and heart disease, all of which develop silently over many years and strike without warning. It will be the new gold standard for doctors to determine which patients are at the highest risk of these conditions, and enable tailored treatment and lifestyle advice to be given much earlier.”

Reference
SCORE2 risk prediction algorithms: revised models to estimate 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease in Europe. European Heart Journal; 14 June 2021; DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab309

Adapted from a press release from the British Heart Foundation

A new risk calculator will better predict people at high risk of heart and circulatory diseases years before they strike, and is ready for use across the UK and Europe, according to research published in the journal European Heart Journal.

This risk tool... will fit seamlessly into current prevention programmes with substantial real-world impact by improving the prevention of cardiovascular diseases across Europe before they strike

Emanuele Di Angelantonio

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Restless legs syndrome study identifies 13 new genetic risk variants

cjb250 — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 23:01:27 +0000

As many as one in ten people of European ancestry is affected by restless legs syndrome, in which sufferers feel an overwhelming urge to move, often in conjunction with unpleasant sensations, usually in the legs. Rest and inactivity provoke the symptoms, whereas movement can lead to temporary relief. ̽��ֱ��condition is chronic and can get progressively worse, with long-lasting effects on patients’ mental and physical health. People with restless legs syndrome have substantially impaired sleep, reduced overall quality of life, and increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, hypertension, and, possibly, cardiovascular disease.

For around one in 50 people, the condition can be severe enough to require chronic medication, which may in turn have potentially serious side effects.

Studies of families and twins have shown that there is a strong genetic component to the disorder and led to the discovery of six genetic variants that increased the risk of developing the condition.

“We have studied the genetics of restless legs syndrome for more than 10 years and the current study is the largest conducted so far,” says Dr Barbara Schormair from the Institute of Neurogenomics at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, first author of the study. “We are convinced that the newly discovered risk loci will contribute substantially to our understanding of the causal biology of the disease.”

Now, an international team of researchers has compared the genetic data from over 15,000 patients with more than 95,000 controls, and identified a further 13 genetic risk variants. ̽��ֱ��findings were then replicated in a sample of 31,000 patients and 287,000 controls. ̽��ֱ��results are published today in Lancet Neurology.

“Restless legs syndrome is surprisingly common, but despite this, we know little about what causes it – and hence how to treat it,” says Dr Steven Bell from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, also one of the first authors on the study. “We already know that it has a strong genetic link, and this was something we wanted to explore in more detail.”

Several of the genetic variants have previously been linked to the growth and development of nerve cells – a process known as neurogenesis – and to changes in the formation of neuronal circuits. These findings strengthen the case for restless legs syndrome being a neurodevelopmental disorder whose origins may go back to development in the womb as well as impaired nerve cell growth in later life.

“ ̽��ֱ��genetic risk variants that we’ve discovered add more weight to the idea that this condition is related to the development of our nervous system,” says Dr Emanuele Di Angelantonio, also from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care. “It also gives us some clues to how we may treat patients affected by the condition.”

Prof Juliane Winkelmann, who heads the Institute of Neurogenomics at the Helmholtz Zentrum as well as a restless legs syndrome outpatient clinic at the Klinikum Rechts der Isar in Munich, adds: “Our genetic findings are an important step towards developing new and improved treatment options for our patients.”

One particular biological pathway implicated by the findings is known to be a target for the drug thalidomide. While the drug has a controversial reputation due to its previous use when treating pregnant women that led to serious birth defects in their offspring, it is now used to treat some cancers. ̽��ֱ��researchers suggest that thalidomide or similar drugs may offer potential treatment options for male patients with restless leg syndrome and female patients beyond reproductive age, but they stress the necessity of rigorous clinical testing for efficacy and side-effects before any such use.

̽��ֱ��study was largely funded by NHS Blood and Transplant, National Institute for Health Research, British Heart Foundation, European Commission, European Research Council, National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, UK Medical Research Council, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Helmholtz Zentrum München.

Reference
Schormair, B., Zhao, C., Bell, S. et al. Identification of novel risk loci for restless legs syndrome in genome-wide association studies in individuals of European ancestry: a meta-analysis. Lancet Neurology; 10th October 2017; DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30327-7

A new study into the genetics underlying restless legs syndrome has identified 13 previously-unknown genetic risk variants, while helping inform potential new treatment options for the condition.

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Obesity linked to premature death, with greatest effect in men

cjb250 — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 09:40:18 +0000

̽��ֱ��World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and that a further 600 million are obese. ̽��ֱ��prevalence of adult obesity is 20% in Europe and 31% in North America.

“On average, overweight people lose about one year of life expectancy, and moderately obese people lose about three years of life expectancy,” says Dr Emanuele Di Angelantonio from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, the lead author. “We also found that men who were obese were at much higher risk of premature death than obese women. This is consistent with previous observations that obese men have greater insulin resistance, liver fat levels, and diabetes risk than women.”

̽��ֱ��study found an increased risk of premature death for people who were underweight, as well as for people classed as overweight. ̽��ֱ��risk increased steadily and steeply as BMI increased. A similar trend was seen in many parts of the world and for all four main causes of death.

Where the risk of death before age 70 would be 19% and 11% for men and women with a normal BMI, the study found that it would be 29.5% and 14.6% for moderately obese men and women. ̽��ֱ��authors defined premature deaths as those at ages 35-69 years.

̽��ֱ��new study brings together information on the causes of any deaths in 3.9 million adults from 189 previous studies in Europe, North America and elsewhere. At entry to the study all were aged between 20 and 90 years old, and were non-smokers who were not known to have any chronic disease when their BMI was recorded. ̽��ֱ��analysis is of those who then survived at least another five years.

̽��ֱ��authors say that assuming that the associations between high BMI and mortality are largely causal, if those who were overweight or obese had WHO-defined normal levels of BMI, then one in 7 premature deaths in Europe and one in 5 in North America would be avoided.

Reference
̽��ֱ��Global BMI Mortality Collaboration. Body-mass index and all-cause mortality: individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 239 prospective studies in four continents. Lancet; 13 July 2016; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30175-1

Adapted from a press release from ̽��ֱ��Lancet

A study of 3.9 million adults published today in ̽��ֱ��Lancet has found that being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of premature death. ̽��ֱ��risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer are all increased. Overall, the excess risk of premature death (before age 70) among those who are overweight or obese is about three times as great in men as in women.

On average, overweight people lose about one year of life expectancy, and moderately obese people lose about three years of life expectancy

Emanuele Di Angelantonio

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Combination of diabetes and heart disease substantially reduces life expectancy

cjb250 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:00:36 +0000

Researchers at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge analysed more than 135,000 deaths which occurred during prolonged follow-up of almost 1.2 million participants in population cohorts. They used this to provide estimates of reductions in life expectancy associated with a history of different combinations of diabetes, stroke, and/or myocardial infarction heart attack – so-called cardiometabolic diseases. Their results are published today in JAMA ( ̽��ֱ��Journal of the American Medical Association).

̽��ֱ��team analysed data from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (ERFC) from almost 700,000 participants recruited between 1960 and 2007, taken from a total of 91 prospective cohorts that have recorded mortality during prolonged follow-up. They compared the results with those from the UK Biobank, a prospective cohort of just under 500,000 participants recruited between 2006 and 2010.

Previous studies have estimated that around 10 million adults in the United States and the European Union are living with more than one cardiometabolic illness. In this new study, the researchers found that around one person in a hundred from the cohorts they analysed had two or more conditions.

“We showed that having a combination of diabetes and heart disease is associated with a substantially lower life expectancy,” says Dr Emanuele Di Angelantonio from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. “An individual in their sixties who has both conditions has an average reduction in life expectancy of about 15 years.”

̽��ֱ��researchers estimated that at the age of 60 years, men with any two of the cardiometabolic conditions studied would on average have 12 years of reduced life expectancy, and men with all three conditions would have 14 years of reduced life expectancy. For women at the age of 60 years, the corresponding estimates were 13 years and 16 years of reduced life expectancy.

̽��ֱ��figures were even more dramatic for patients at a younger age. At the age of 40 years, men with all three cardiometabolic conditions would on average have 23 years of reduced life expectancy; for women at the same age, the corresponding estimate was 20 years.

“Our results highlight the importance of preventing heart disease and stroke amongst patients with diabetes, and likewise averting diabetes amongst heart disease patients,” says Professor John Danesh, Head of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and British Heart Foundation Professor.

“Although patients with more than one condition constitute only a small proportion of the population at large, in real terms the numbers are not insignificant. Measures aimed at reducing diabetes and heart disease amongst this group could have a dramatic impact on their lives. However, at the same time, we must not lose sight of tackling these serious conditions within the wider population.”

̽��ֱ��work was funded by the Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, the National Institute of Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Resource Centre and the European Research Council.

Reference
̽��ֱ��Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration. Association of Cardiometabolic Multimorbidity with Mortality. JAMA; 7 July 2015.

Life expectancy for people with a history of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes is substantially lower than for people with just one condition or no disease, a new study harnessing the power of ‘big data’ has concluded.

Our results highlight the importance of preventing heart disease and stroke amongst patients with diabetes, and likewise averting diabetes amongst heart disease patients

John Danesh

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