Abstract
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and asthma is rising, yet evidence regarding the relationship between T2D and asthma, particularly in the context of genetic predispositions, remains limited. METHODS: This study utilized data from the UK Biobank longitudinal cohort, involving 388,775 participants. A polygenic risk score (PRS) for asthma was derived from genome-wide association studies summary. Cox regression models were used to assess the association between T2D and asthma, incorporating the asthma PRS. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 13.62 years, 10,211 asthma cases were documented. After adjusting for age, sex, current smoking status, and other confounding variables, T2D was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing asthma (Hazard Ratios [HR] 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.26). This association remained significant after further adjustments for genetic susceptibility to asthma. Furthermore, T2D increased the risk of developing asthma across both high and low genetic risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: T2D is associated with an increased risk of developing asthma, irrespective of genetic susceptibility. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating glucose regulation strategies into asthma prevention efforts.