Longitudinal association between early-life famine exposure and risk of microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes in adulthood: A retrospective cohort in Tianjin, China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have linked famine exposure to the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), yet its impact on diabetic microvascular complications (DMC) remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the longitudinal association between early-life famine exposure and the risk of DMC in adult-hood among individuals with T2D. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among inpatients with T2D at Tianjin Medical University Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital from June 2014 to June 2022. The 2409 participants were divided into five famine exposure groups based on birth years: no exposure group (1962-1965), fetal period exposure group (1959-1961), early-childhood exposure group (1956-1958), mid-childhood exposure group (1953-1955), and late-childhood exposure group (1949-1952). RESULTS: Compared with those nonexposed, early-life famine exposure was associated with higher risks of incident overall DMC (HRtrend 1.134, 95% CI 1.052-1.223), diabetic retinopathy (DR) (HRtrend 1.193, 95% CI 1.100-1.293), and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (HRtrend 1.262, 95% CI 1.117-1.425), but was not associated with diabetic neuropathy (p > 0.05). Notably, significant interactions were found between famine exposure and hypertension regarding the risk of DR, and between famine exposure and both and obesity patterns on the risk of DKD (all p for interaction < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to famine in early life was associated with increased risks of overall DMC, DR and DKD among patients with T2D. Specially, the association of DR was more pronounced in individuals with hypertension, while the association with DKD was stronger among those with hypertension or both general and abdominal obesity.