Diabetes mortality and trends before 25 years of age: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Ewerton Cousin, Bruce B Duncan, Caroline Stein, Kanyin Liane Ong, Theo Vos, Cristiana Abbafati, Mohsen Abbasi-Kangevari, Michael Abdelmasseh, Amir Abdoli, Rami Abd-Rabu, Hassan Abolhassani, Eman Abu-Gharbieh, Manfred Mario Kokou Accrombessi, Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakilah Adnani, Muhammad Sohail Afzal, Gina Agarwal, Krishna K Agrawaal, Marcela Agudelo-Botero, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah, Sajjad Ahmad, Tauseef Ahmad, Keivan Ahmadi, Sepideh Ahmadi, Ali Ahmadi, Ali Ahmed, Yusra Ahmed Salih, Wuraola Akande-Sholabi, Tayyaba Akram, Hanadi Al Hamad, Ziyad Al-Aly, Jacqueline Elizabeth Alcalde-Rabanal, Vahid Alipour, Syed Mohamed Aljunid, Rajaa M Al-Raddadi, Nelson Alvis-Guzman, Saeed Amini, Robert Ancuceanu, Tudorel Andrei, Catalina Liliana Andrei, Ranjit Mohan Anjana, Adnan Ansar, Ippazio Cosimo Antonazzo, Benny Antony, Anayochukwu Edward Anyasodor, Jalal Arabloo, Damian Arizmendi, Benedetta Armocida, Anton A Artamonov, Judie Arulappan, Zahra Aryan, Samaneh Asgari, Tahira Ashraf, Thomas Astell-Burt, Prince Atorkey, Maha Moh'd Wahbi Atout, Martin Amogre Ayanore, Ashish D Badiye, Atif Amin Baig, Mohan Bairwa, Jennifer L Baker, Ovidiu Constantin Baltatu, Palash Chandra Banik, Anthony Barnett, Mark Thomaz Ugliara Barone, Francesco Barone-Adesi, Amadou Barrow, Neeraj Bedi, Rebuma Belete, Uzma Iqbal Belgaumi, Arielle Wilder Bell, Derrick A Bennett, Isabela M Bensenor, David Beran, Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula, Sonu Bhaskar, Krittika Bhattacharyya, Vijayalakshmi S Bhojaraja, Ali Bijani, Boris Bikbov, Setognal Birara, Virginia Bodolica, Aime Bonny, Hermann Brenner, Nikolay Ivanovich Briko, Zahid A Butt, Florentino Luciano Caetano dos Santos, Luis Alberto Cámera, Ismael R Campos-Nonato, Yin Cao, Chao Cao, Ester Cerin, Promit Ananyo Chakraborty, Joht Singh Chandan, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Simiao Chen, Jee-Young Jasmine Choi, Sonali Gajanan Choudhari, Enayet Karim Chowdhury, Dinh-Toi Chu, Barbara Corso
Abstract
Background Diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes, at younger ages can be a largely preventable cause of death with the correct health care and services. We aimed to evaluate diabetes mortality and trends at ages younger than 25 years globally using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Methods We used estimates of GBD 2019 to calculate international diabetes mortality at ages younger than 25 years in 1990 and 2019. Data sources for causes of death were obtained from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, and other surveillance systems for 1990–2019. We estimated death rates for each location using the GBD Cause of Death Ensemble model. We analysed the association of age-standardised death rates per 100 000 population with the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and a measure of universal health coverage (UHC) and described the variability within SDI quintiles. We present estimates with their 95% uncertainty intervals. Findings In 2019, 16 300 (95% uncertainty interval 14 200 to 18 900) global deaths due to diabetes (type 1 and 2 combined) occurred in people younger than 25 years and 73·7% (68·3 to 77·4) were classified as due to type 1 diabetes. The age-standardised death rate was 0·50 (0·44 to 0·58) per 100 000 population, and 15 900 (97·5%) of these deaths occurred in low to high-middle SDI countries. The rate was 0·13 (0·12 to 0·14) per 100 000 population in the high SDI quintile, 0·60 (0·51 to 0·70) per 100 000 population in the low-middle SDI quintile, and 0·71 (0·60 to 0·86) per 100 000 population in the low SDI quintile. Within SDI quintiles, we observed large variability in rates across countries, in part explained by the extent of UHC ( r 2 =0·62). From 1990 to 2019, age-standardised death rates decreased globally by 17·0% (−28·4 to −2·9) for all diabetes, and by 21·0% (–33·0 to −5·9) when considering only type 1 diabetes. However, the low SDI quintile had the lowest decline for both all diabetes (−13·6% [–28·4 to 3·4]) and for type 1 diabetes (−13·6% [–29·3 to 8·9]). Interpretation Decreasing diabetes mortality at ages younger than 25 years remains an important challenge, especially in low and low-middle SDI countries. Inadequate diagnosis and treatment of diabetes is likely to be major contributor to these early deaths, highlighting the urgent need to provide better access to insulin and basic diabetes education and care. This mortality metric, derived from readily available and frequently updated GBD data, can help to monitor preventable diabetes-related deaths over time globally, aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Targets, and serve as an indicator of the adequacy of basic diabetes care for type 1 and type 2 diabetes across nations. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.