Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is becoming increasingly important to investigate not only micro-/macrovascular complications, but also comorbidities associated with diabetes. In the Asahi Diabetes Complications Study (Asahi Study), in addition to micro-/macrovascular complications, the onset and progression of dementia and sarcopenia were also investigated in patients with diabetes. METHODS: The Asahi Study is a prospective 8-year observational cohort study of subjects with diabetes receiving outpatient care at the Institute of Medical Science, Asahi Life Foundation. Participants were enrolled between November 2014 and December 2017. The baseline data include the age, HbA1c level, and median duration of diabetes. In addition, medication use, prevalence of micro-/macrovascular complications, and presence/absence of malignant neoplasms were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 49 patients with type 1 DM (T1DM group) and 791 patients with type 2 DM (T2DM group) were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 58.4 years in the T1DM group and 64.9 years in the T2DM group. Other baseline characteristics (T1DM/T2DM) were: mean HbA1c 7.5%/7.0%; median duration of diabetes 23 years/18 years. In regard to medication history, in the T2DM group, 57.3% were receiving oral hypoglycemic agents, 5.6% were receiving injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists, and 28.4% were receiving insulin therapy. The prevalences of microvascular complications, macrovascular complications, and malignant neoplasms were approximately 30-50%, 10%, and 7%, respectively, in the study participants. CONCLUSION: This 8-year observation study may offer valuable insights into the relationship between risk factor management and development of diabetic complications/comorbidities in persons with diabetes.