Abstract
The International Diabetes Federation estimated that 5.1 million people aged between
20 and 79 years died from diabetes in 2013, accounting for 8.4% of global all-cause
mortality among people in this age group. Type 1 diabetes is associated with a 2-
to 4-fold increased mortality risk compared with the general population. Before the
onset of late complications, most of the excess mortality is from potentially preventable
causes of death such as ketoacidosis, whereas the long-term excess mortality is largely
due to cardiovascular disease. However, a wide geographic variation in mortality of
type 1 diabetic patients has been evidenced and accurate estimates of mortality attributable
to diabetes are difficult to obtain. The review provides an overview of currently
available evidence and summarizes main problems in estimating early and long-term
mortality by cause of death in type 1 diabetes, paying particular attention to European
studies.
Key words
diabetes mellitus type 1 - mortality - cardiovascular disease - Europe
