Minority groups face younger diabetes diagnoses, study finds

The average age at diagnosis of adult-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the U.S. has been increasing since 2016, but significant racial and ethnic disparities persist, according to a study. Minority groups are generally diagnosed with T2D at younger ages compared to non-Hispanic White individuals, and Hispanic individuals are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) later than others.

The study analyzed responses from 1,224 adults with T1D and 14,221 with T2D. Over 6 years, the average age of type 2 diabetes diagnosis increased by 0.18 years per year. This was due to more diagnoses in people aged 60 or older (up by 3.17% annually) and fewer in those aged 18–29 (down by 5.62% annually). Meanwhile, the average diagnosis age for type 1 diabetes showed no significant change.

Racial disparities were notable. Hispanic individuals were diagnosed with T1D an average of 3.2 years later than non-Hispanic White individuals. For T2D, minority groups experienced diagnosis 2.0–6.1 years earlier than their White counterparts.

Reference
Li K, Zhu F, Shi S, et al. Trends and racial/ethnic differences in age at diagnosis of adult-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the United States, 2016-2022. Am J Prev Med. 2024;S0749-3797(24)00417-3. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.12.002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39645156.