WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Within five years of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, there is greater risk for first developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) versus first developing heart failure, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in Milan.
Naveed Sattar, Ph.D., from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, and colleagues estimated the risks for developing CKD first or heart failure first in patients with diabetes. The analysis included nearly 1.62 million adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found that within five years of diabetes diagnosis, the risk for developing CKD first was higher than the risk for developing heart failure first (19.0 versus 8.3 percent). Within five years of CKD, the subsequent risk for heart failure was 22.7 percent, while the risk for CKD within five years of heart failure was 42.0 percent. For the composite of CKD, heart failure, or death following a diabetes diagnosis, the five- and 10-year risks were 32.9 and 55.1 percent, respectively.
"Our findings clearly show how the serious complications associated with type 2 diabetes rise sharply over time as the often common combination in patients of obesity, abnormal blood fats, high blood pressure, and higher blood sugar damages blood vessels and vital organs," Sattar said in a statement. "Our results emphasize the critical importance of detecting and treating type 2 diabetes thoroughly at the earliest opportunity to help reduce the risk of serious complications."
Several study authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, which funded the study.
