Association between BMI measured within a year after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and mortality

Abstract

OBJECTIVE-To describe the association of BMI with mortality in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-Using records of 106,640 patients in Scotland, we investigated the association between BMI recorded around the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and mortality using Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for age and smoking status, with BMI 25 to <30 kg/m2 as a referent group. Deaths within 2 years of BMI determination were excluded. Mean follow-up to death or the end of 2007 was 4.7 years. RESULTS-A total of 9,631 deaths occurred between 2001 and 2007. Compared with the reference group, mortality risk was higher in patients with BMI 20 to <25 kg/m2 (hazard ratio 1.22 [95% CI 1.13-1.32] inmen, 1.32 [1.22-1.44] in women) and patients with BMI≥35 kg/m2 (for example, 1.70 [1.24-2.34] in men and 1.81 [1.46-2.24] in women for BMI 45 to <50 kg/m2). Vascularmortality was higher for each 5-kg/m 2 increase in BMI >30 kg/m2 by 24% (15-35%) in men and 23%(14-32%) in women, but was lower below this threshold. The results were similar after further adjustment for HbA1c, year of diagnosis, lipids, blood pressure, and socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS-Patients categorized as normal weight or obese with T2DM within a year of diagnosis of T2DM exhibit variably higher mortality outcomes compared with the overweight group, confirming a U-shaped association of BMI with mortality. Whether weight loss interventions reduce mortality in all T2DM patients requires study. © 2013 by the American Diabetes Association.