Abstract
The prognostic effects of cigarette smoking on diabetic patients were examined utilizing a long-term follow-up study. The subjects studied were 1, 700 NIDDM patients aged 35 years and over at entry and with a known history of smoking. The mean follow-up period was 14.8±6.5 years and smoking rates were 64.8% for males and 13.1% for females. The mortality rates per 1, 000 person-years in male subjects were 32.13 for non-smokers and 37.64 for smokers, while the O/E ratios were 1.26 and 1.84 for non-smokers and smokers, respectively, both indicating statistically significant differences. The odds ratio of smokers to non-smokers was 1.45, and a significantly increased risk of dying in smokers, as compared with non-smokers, was confirmed in Japanese diabetic patients. The analysis of odds ratios by causes of death indicated a significant increase in malignant neoplasms, especially in lung cancer, but cancer of other sites, such as the stomach and liver, was also appreciably increased. Increases in cardiovascular disease, heart and cerebrovascular diseases, and in renal disease were observed. In addition, marked increases in pneumonia and bronchitis were also noted.
