In a population-based cohort of diabetes patients, men and women had similar risks for all-cause mortality.
OBJECTIVE
To compare death rates of diabetic men and women relative to the general population and to identify sex-specific risk factors for all-cause mortality.


METHODS
In the current historical prospective cohort study, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for 19,657 men and women with diabetes in a large Israeli health care organization compared to the mortality in the general population from 1999 to 2003. In addition, sex-specific survival analyses were performed for men and women separately using baseline data obtained between 1995 and 1999.


RESULTS
During the study follow-up (90,899 person-years), 2,924 deaths were identified. The SMR for diabetic women (1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33, 1.47) was significantly (P<0.01) higher than for diabetic men (1.20; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.26). Age, glycated hemoglobin, serum creatinine, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, dialysis, use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and insulin were similarly associated with mortality in both sexes. Residing in the south of Israel was related with higher risk among men but with decreased risk among women.


CONCLUSIONS
The study indicates that diabetes seems to eliminate the relative protection against death usually seen in women. It also suggests that most risk factors are comparable between the sexes, underlining the importance of similarly intensive disease management in diabetic women and in diabetic men.
Shalev
Varda
V
Medical Division, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Chodick
Gabriel
G
Bialik
Martin
M
Green
Manfred S
MS
Heymann
Anthony D
AD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D003404:Creatinine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin