英国帝国理工学院的研究发现，2型糖尿病在年轻女性中的发病率呈上升趋势，打破了该病传统上多见于老年人的认知[1]。基于2011年至2024年英国国家糖尿病审计数据，研究显示40岁以下人群中2型糖尿病患者数量增加，其中20多岁和30多岁的女性患者增幅最为明显，涉及白人、亚洲和黑人等多个族群[1]。相比之下，60至79岁成人中该病患者率反而下降[1]。这一现象并非英国独有——德国青少年（11至17岁）中2型糖尿病患者从2014年至2023年每年增加5.8%[1]。
专家指出，不健康的生活方式、肥胖问题和诊断方法不够完善是推动这一趋势的主要原因[1]。帝国理工学院研究人员Shivani Misra表示，"虽然少数族裔群体受影响不成比例，但现在我们看到白人群体中的发病率也在增加，表明这是跨越一代的公共卫生挑战"[1]。诊断延迟也加重了这一问题——由于女性通常空腹血糖水平较低，单靠空腹血糖检测可能导致漏诊，需结合葡萄糖耐受试验和HbA1c检测以提高准确性[1]。在年轻患者中，疾病进展可能比老年患者更为严重[1]。
Researchers at Imperial College London have identified a troubling shift in type 2 diabetes epidemiology, with rising prevalence among women under 40 reversing decades of prior trends. Analysis of data from the UK National Diabetes Audit spanning 2011 to 2024 reveals that while diabetes rates declined among adults aged 60 to 79, they increased significantly in the younger population, particularly affecting women in their 20s and 30s across white, Asian, and Black ethnic groups [1].
The phenomenon is not limited to Britain. German youth aged 11 to 17 experienced an annual increase of 5.8 percent in type 2 diabetes cases between 2014 and 2023 [1]. Experts attribute the shift to interconnected lifestyle and diagnostic factors. Baptist Gallwitz observed that "we live in a world of insufficient physical activity, high sugar content in nutrition, and excessive calories" [1]. Beyond behavioral patterns, diagnostic gaps compound the problem; women's typically lower fasting glucose levels may delay identification compared to men, necessitating supplementary testing including glucose tolerance tests and HbA1c measurements [1].
The clinical implications for younger patients are particularly serious. Helen Kirrane noted that "in young patients, disease progression may be more severe than in older patients" [1]. Shivani Misra stressed the broader urgency of the trend: though minority ethnic communities have been disproportionately affected, rising rates now visible in white populations demonstrate that "this is a cross-generational public health challenge" [1].