Aims: To estimate and illustrate how the 10 years of weight change immediately preceding diabetes diagnosis vary with weight at the age of 20 years and with socio-demographic variables, risk factors and comorbidities at diagnosis.
Methods: Data were from a population-based cohort of 1320 persons newly diagnosed with diabetes aged > or = 40 years. Patients' weight at diagnosis was measured by the doctor, while patients recalled their weight approximately 1, 5 and 10 years prior to diagnosis and at age 20 years.
Results: Median weight gain from age 20 years to diabetes diagnosis at median age 65.3 years was 14.7 kg (interquartile range 6.0-23.0). Women gained weight more than men, and the lower the weight at age 20 years, the greater the weight gain. The average weight gain from 10 years prior to diabetes diagnosis until diagnosis, however, was only 1 kg and decreased markedly with age. These 10 years of weight change were also associated with sex and the following baseline characteristics: diagnostic plasma glucose, urinary glucose, urinary albumin, fasting triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, smoking habits, and presence of diabetic retinopathy.
Conclusions: The results add to the evidence that it is important to advise young patients in particular, especially women, who have gained and sustained considerable weight to curb this upward weight trend in order to prevent the development of diabetes.