Diabetes mellitus--long time survival

The medical literature of the last decade enables us to estimate survival of diabetics. Insulin dependent diabetic (IDDM) present a 3 to 6-fold mortality and die after age 30, the most frequent causes being end stage renal and vascular diseases. Non insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) mortality is 1.4 to 3.7 times that of non-diabetics. Cardiovascular events and strokes are the major causes of death. Pancreatic carcinoma occurs twice as frequently in NIDDM compared to non-diabetics. Early markers of late severe complications are hypertension and proteinuria. Retinopathy has little influence on morality if other risk factors are considered. Yet, glaucoma and lens changes are associated with three- and twofold mortalities. One of five IDDM with microalbuminuria progresses to overt nephropathy in 5 years. In NIDDM micro-albuminuria predicts cardiovascular disease with a mortality of up to 2 times. Careful treatment of cardiovascular risk factors and of microalbuminuria combined with optimal metabolic control substantially reduces mortality of diabetics.