“Young diabetic patients have a higher risk of death if their income is low.”

While the incidence and prevalence of young diabetes patients under the age of 40 are increasing in Korea, research results have shown that even among young diabetes patients, the risk of death is greater if the income level is low.

The research team of Kim Shin-gon and Kim Nam-hoon, professors of endocrinology at Korea University Anam Hospital, and Kim Ji-yoon, professor of endocrinology and metabolism at Samsung Seoul Hospital, announced on the 26th that they confirmed that low income increases the risk of death by about three times in young type 2 diabetes patients.

The research team used National Health Insurance Corporation data from 2008 to 2013 to analyze approximately 600,000 patients with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 20 and 79. In the study, patients’ income levels were divided into 3 quintiles and the relationship with the risk of death was identified.

The results of the study showed that among patients with type 2 diabetes under the age of 40, those in the bottom third of income ranking had a 2.88 times higher risk of death than those in the top third. In patients with type 2 diabetes over 60 years of age, the risk of death was found to be 1.26 times higher when the same analysis was performed. This means that type 2 diabetes patients under 40 years of age have a much higher risk of death depending on income than type 2 diabetes patients over 60 years of age.

Additionally, type 2 diabetes patients in the bottom third of the income ranking were found to have a 2.66 times higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 1.41 times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than patients in the top third.

Professor Namhoon Kim said, “Young diabetic patients have difficulty managing blood sugar levels and complications occur quickly. “In addition to the medical aspect, the socioeconomic environment appears to have a significant impact on the health of young diabetic patients,” he said. “Efforts are being made to resolve health complaints from various angles, such as expanding support for young diabetic patients at the national and policy level.” “It is necessary,” he said.

The results of this study were published in the November issue of JAMA Network Open, the journal of the American Medical Association.