Older people with diabetes have a heightened risk of physical disability, new research shows.
Scientists at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia looked at data from 26 previous studies that had investigated the links between diabetes and disability.
They found that people with diabetes were between 50 and 80 per cent more likely to have a physical disability than those without the disease.
The study, which is published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, did not differentiate between type-1 and type-2 diabetes, but the researchers noted that they focused on older people, among whom type-2 is significantly more common.
According to co-lead researcher Dr Anna Peeters, the reasons for this link between diabetes and physical disability are not yet clear.
'It's possible that the high blood glucose concentrations experienced by people with diabetes might lead to chronic muscle inflammation, eventually resulting in physical disability, and some studies have shown that diabetes is associated with rapid and worsening muscle wasting,' she revealed.
The expert added that diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, can also result in disability.