抄録
Objective: To analyze the differences in age at death and cause of death between individuals with and without diabetes.
Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective, single-center, observational study conducted at an acute-phase medical facility in urban Japan. We included adult patients who died at St. Marianna University Hospital between January 2011 and December 2020 (n=9,627). Data were extracted from electronic medical records, including sex, age at death, cause of death based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes, and the presence or absence of diabetes. The Chi-square test was employed to compare the distribution of causes of death between patients with and without diabetes.
Results: Of the 9,627 patients, 836 (8.7%) were diagnosed with diabetes. The median age at death [interquartile range] was 76.0 [65.0-84.0] years in patients without diabetes and 75.5 [68.0-81.0] years in those with diabetes (p=0.57). The peak age at death was in the 70s for patients with diabetes and in the 80s for those without. Malignant neoplasia (38.4%) was the leading cause of death in the diabetes group, followed by infection (12.4%), cerebrovascular disease (5.6%), and cardiovascular disease (5.1%). Malignant neoplasia, infection, and cerebrovascular disease were significantly more common in patients with diabetes, whereas cardiovascular mortality did not differ substantially between groups.
Conclusions: The difference in age at death between patients with and without diabetes has recently narrowed. Although the median age at death was similar, the age distribution was modestly shifted toward younger ages in patients with diabetes. These findings underscore the importance of early diagnosis, comprehensive risk factor management, and treatment of complications and comorbidities, including malignant neoplasms, infections, and cerebrovascular disease (particularly cerebral infarction), which are important for achieving diabetes treatment goals. The small difference in cardiovascular mortality underscores the need for risk control.
