Monday, September 25 2006 15:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: People who are obese and suffer from diabetes could face the risk of developing critical illnesses and an earlier death than those who are not diabetic, says a new study.

Katarina Slynkova and researchers from the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta analysed data of 15,408 people aged 44-66, coming from four different US communities, who had originally been studied between 1986 and 1989.

They analysed their body mass index (BMI), presence of diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) and the subjects' history of critical illness (acute organ failure) and mortality within 3 years, reported science portal EurekAlert.

They found that in the absence of diabetes, obese individuals do not have an increased risk of suffering from acute organ failure, and of dying young from it than non-obese individuals.

By contrast, patients with diabetes are three times more likely to become critically ill with acute organ failure and they are three times more likely to die from acute organ failure, or from any cause, than patients who do not have diabetes, regardless of their BMI.

The researchers concluded that diabetes is a strong independent predictor of acute organ failure and subsequent death, or death from any cause.