Life with Type 1 Diabetes Gets Longer

People with type 1 diabetes live almost as long as other Americans, a new study finds. In this disease, the immune system attacks the body. It destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People need to replace this insulin by injection multiple times a day. The study included 390 people who were diagnosed with type 1 between 1950 and 1964. They were compared with a younger group. This group was diagnosed between 1965 and 1980. Researchers kept track of both groups for several decades. For the first group, the average life expectancy was 53.4. But this has improved for the group diagnosed later. Their average life expectancy is now 68.8, the study found. That’s less than 4 years below average. U.S. life expectancy is 72.4 for people born between 1965 and 1980. Better diabetes care has narrowed the gap, researchers said.