Study: Asthma risk doubles in diabetes patients

People with Type 2 diabetes are nearly twice as likely to develop asthma, a new review has concluded.

Type 2 diabetics are 83% more likely to develop asthma, compared to those without diabetes, researchers found.

The relationship also works the other way around -- people with asthma are 28% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

"This relationship emphasizes the need for greater awareness among patients with Type 2 diabetes or asthma and their healthcare providers," said lead researcher Dr. Nam Nguyen with Taipei Medical University in Taiwan.

For the study, researchers pooled data on 17 million people from 14 prior studies examining the link between asthma and Type 2 diabetes.

The results also showed that the more severe a person's asthma is, the higher their risk of Type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

These findings suggest that asthma and diabetes might have some of the same underlying causes, or have other factors in common, researchers said.

Nguyen said future studies should look into the potential links between asthma and Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers presented the study Monday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid. Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

"Preventive strategies should be considered to lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes in individuals with asthma," Nguyen said in a meeting news release. "For instance, screening for and addressing pre-diabetes in asthma patients promptly before it develops into Type 2 diabetes, or carefully managing the use of systemic corticosteroids, which can not only cause temporary hyperglycemia but are also linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on asthma and obesity .

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