Diabetes confers a higher risk of mortality among women in a middle-income country: Results from the Mexican Teachers’ Cohort study

Abstract Aims. – In Mexico City, the mortality rate among patients with diabetes appears to be four times that of people without diabetes. Our study aimed to refine analyses of the impact of diabetes on mortality in a large cohort of women from different areas in Mexico with healthcare insurance. Methods. – Our study followed 111,299 women with comprehensive healthcare coverage from the Mexican Teachers’ Cohort. After a median follow-up of 7.8 years, 5514 (5%) prevalent self-reported diabetes cases and 4023 incident cases were identified, while deaths were identified through employers’ databases and next-of-kin reports, with dates and causes of death for 1121 women obtained from mortality databases. Hazard ratios (HRs) for total and cause-specific mortality were estimated by Cox regression models, using follow-up time as the time scale and allowing for time-variable diabetes status after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, use of health services, and anthropometric and lifestyle variables. Results. – In multivariable-adjusted models, the HR for all-cause mortality was 3.28 (95% CI: 2.86–3.75) in women with vs without diabetes. The impact of diabetes on mortality was higher in rural vs urban areas (HR: 4.72 vs 2.98, respectively). HRs were 1.57 and 23.44 for cancer and renal disease mortality, respectively. Conclusion. – In women with healthcare coverage in Mexico, the magnitude of the association between diabetes and all-cause mortality was higher than that observed in high-income countries, but less than what has previously been reported for Mexico. Such elevated mortality suggests a lack of adequate access to quality diabetes care in the population despite comprehensive healthcare coverage.