Diabetes Is Linked to Premature Death from Many Causes in Addition to Vascular Disease

The presence of diabetes mellitus approximately doubles the risk of a wide range of vascular diseases according to the study. Evidence is also emerging that diabetes is associated with nonvascular conditions. Fasting glucose levels of more than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) were associated with death, but levels of 70 to 100 mg/dL (3.9 – 5.6 mmol/L) were not. Compared with a 50-year-old individual without diabetes, a similar individual with diabetes died 6 years earlier, on average, with excess nonvascular deaths accounting for approximately 40% of the difference in survival time. New England Journal of Medicine, March 3 2011