A comprehensive review and meta-analysis of relationship between age of onset or duration of type 2 diabetes and mortality involving more than 2.85 million patients

Earlier-onset T2D is consistently associated with higher all-cause mortality, suggesting it may serve as an important risk marker, though causality is not established. Asymmetry in funnel plots and Egger's tests suggests possible publication bias. Future well-designed studies should explore causal mechanisms to inform interventions.