ComplicationsLiving

Are Women with Type 1 at Greater Risk Than Men?

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A University of Queensland analysis of 48 years of medical studies found that women with Type 1 have a 40% increased risk of death by any cause than men with the condition.

The research, posted on The Lancet, took data collected from 26 studies ranging from 1966-2014. It found that women have twice the excess risk of diabetes-related vascular complications, fatal and non-fatal, versus men. Women with Type 1 had a 37% higher chance of death from stroke and 44% greater probability of dying from kidney disease than men with Type 1.

It ‘s still not clear why this disparity exists. An article in Health Day suggests that it could be because fluctuating hormone levels can cause imbalances in blood sugar levels, making those levels harder to control. It’s also possible that high blood pressure could be more damaging to blood vessels in women’s bodies than men’s. However, this is all speculative at this point.

Researchers said that women with Type 1 should closely monitor their blood glucose levels and blood pressure and maintain good levels of each to combat this trend.

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Travis served as a staff writer for Insulin Nation and Type 2 Nation in 2015. Previously, he was a staff writer for Insight, a high school newspaper, as well as a copywriter for The Emersonian, Emerson's yearbook.

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