It is known that individuals with type 1 diabetes may be more likely than the general population to develop other autoimmune conditions, such as thyroid disorders. The reasons for this are complex, likely multifactorial, and the specific risk factors are still being investigated.

Recently, a study sought to evaluate the prevalence of autoimmune disorders in a cohort of adults with type 1 diabetes. The researchers aimed to identify factors that increased the risk of having additional autoimmune conditions and published their findings in the journal Diabetes Care earlier this month.

Study Design

Data were obtained for 1,212 patients from the Washington University Diabetes Center between the years 2011 and 2018. The information collected included patient “age, sex, race and disease onset data.” Next, the researchers “performed paired association analyses based on age at onset of type 1 diabetes.” They utilized “multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the independent effects of sex, race, type 1 diabetes age of onset, and type 1 diabetes duration on the prevalence of an additional autoimmune disorder.”

Study Outcomes

The main study outcomes demonstrated that the risk for developing an additional autoimmune disorder was higher for individuals who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes later in life. Also, the study showed that women were more predisposed than men to develop another autoimmune condition. The most prevalent autoimmune conditions in this cohort were “thyroid disease, collagen vascular diseases, and pernicious anemia.”

The study authors concluded that

The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in patients with type 1 diabetes increases with age and female sex. Later onset of type 1 diabetes is an independent and significant risk factor for developing additional autoimmune disorders. Individuals who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at older ages, particularly women, should be monitored for other autoimmune conditions.

Conclusions

A study looking to examine relevant factors that may increase the risk of additional autoimmune disorders in a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes found that a later diagnosis predisposed the individual to additional autoimmune conditions. They also found that women were much more likely than men to have an additional autoimmune disorder. Altogether, the data highlight the importance of screening for other autoimmune conditions in patients with type 1 diabetes, and particularly for women and those who were diagnosed later in life.

Read more about autoimmune disease, Intensive management, type 1 diabetes.