Having diabetes doubles a person's risk of death from a range of conditions including stroke and kidney disease, a new report shows.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report examined 156,000 deaths between 2009 and 2014 in people with diabetes registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme.
"Overall, death rates among people with diabetes were almost twice as high as the general population, said AIHW spokesperson Dr Lynelle Moon of the sobering findings.
Diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke were the most common underlying causes of death among people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Kidney failure was also a leading cause of death for people with type 1, while dementia was a common cause of death in those with type 2.
According to the analysis, death rates for people with type 1 diabetes actually fell by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2014, however they rose by 10 per cent among those with type 2.
The disparity between those with type 1 and 2 was particularly obvious among young adults, says Dr Moon.
"Death rates were 4.5 times as high for people aged under 45 with type 1 diabetes and almost 6 times as high for those with type 2 diabetes, compared with the Australian population of the same age," she said.
The report also showed death rates among people with diabetes increased with socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness.
