New research from Queen Mary University of London highlights significant differences in mental health and cardiovascular risks for women and men following a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, calling for more personalised care approaches.
A UK study published in PLOS Medicine has found that the aftermath of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis can look markedly different for women and men, with women more likely to develop mental health problems and men more likely to face cardiovascular and kidney complications. The research, led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London and based on medical records from nearly 29,000 people diagnosed between 2010 and 2020, adds weight to calls for diabetes care that is tailored more closely to sex and age.
Type 2 diabetes, which affects hundreds of millions of adults worldwide, is already known to raise the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and depression. But the new analysis suggests that the pattern of harm is not uniform. Women in the cohort were more likely than men to be diagnosed with mental health conditions after their diabetes diagnosis, with 8.1% affected compared with 5.3% of men. Men, by contrast, were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, end-stage renal disease and high blood pressure.
The findings also suggest that age matters. Younger women appeared to develop mental health complications earlier and at rates higher than expected, which the researchers said supports routine psychological screening as part of standard diabetes follow-up. The study also found that women tended to use health services more often and receive more long-term prescriptions, which may help explain some differences in diagnosis rates.
At the same time, high blood pressure emerged as the most common complication overall, affecting patients of both sexes and across age groups. Earlier studies have pointed in a similar direction, including research published in Diabetologia and other journals that found men faced higher rates of microvascular complications, while women often experienced different treatment outcomes and, in some cohorts, lower or unchanged survival gains. Taken together, the evidence points towards a need for closer monitoring of heart, kidney and mental health risks after diagnosis, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes management.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
