Fighting the growing diabetes epidemic among women

Women are disproportionately impacted by diabetes.

In the United States alone, one in seven females over 20 have the condition and not all have been diagnosed.

Conquering this disease is imperative for this population, which faces increased risks for gestational diabetes during pregnancy, cardiovascular complications and reproductive health challenges.

It is also linked to risks for maternal hypertensive disorders, cesarean delivery and adverse infant outcomes.

“Addressing the diabetes challenge among women is vital because they face unique physical, biological, socioeconomic and healthcare access challenges that increase their risk of complications,” says Dr. Qin Yang, an endocrinologist and director of the UCI Health Diabetes Center.

A growing global crisis

Diabetes is one of the fastest growing global health crises for both men, women and children, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide.

People with diabetes can experience complications such as:

• High blood pressure
• Escalating cholesterol levels
• Chronic kidney disease
• Eye impairments leading to blindness
• Loss of extremities

Condition linked to poor heart outcomes

For women in particular, diabetes is less likely to be controlled for multiple risk factors, highlighting an urgent, unmet need to better educate them about the threats.

“Diabetes is a stronger predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in women with diabetes than in men with the disease,” notes Nathan D. Wong, PhD, a UC Irvine School of Medicine professor and director of the UCI Health Heart Disease Prevention Program within the Mary & Steve Wen Cardiovascular Division.

“UC Irvine’s research finds that increased coronary calcium deposits in the heart is a stronger determinant in predicting death in women than men with diabetes.”

Greater psychosocial burden

The psychosocial burdens of diabetes also disproportionately affect women, particularly those who balance family caregiving responsibilities with managing their own chronic condition.

Among women in low-income and marginalized populations, the health outcomes are even worse.

Wong and UC Irvine researchers are conducting studies among Latino patients to determine specific reasons why diabetes disproportionately affects this population.

Leader in diabetes care, research

The UCI Health Diabetes Center is the only academic, comprehensive diabetes center in Orange County, and one of the largest and most advanced in Southern California.

Diabetes research and care are the center's major areas of concentration.

As a world-class research institution, UC Irvine has several multidisciplinary partners conducting diabetes research across the schools of medicine, engineering, physical sciences, computer science and information.

Artificial intelligence-driven platforms enable researchers to analyze patterns in large populations, identify at-risk groups, as well as accelerate the discovery of new drugs and noninvasive interventions.

UCI Health is among the leading global research institutions exploring:

• Early diabetes detection methods tailored to women, such as biomarker-based screenings for gestational diabetes and innovative digital tools to monitor glucose levels during pregnancy
• How hormonal changes across a woman's life cycle interact with insulin resistance and metabolism, potentially unlocking new avenues for gender-specific treatments.
• Precision medicine approaches to better customize therapies for women.
• The genetic and environmental factors that increase susceptibility to diabetes among women.

Strengthening families, communities

These efforts are coupled with public health programs targeting education, nutrition and prevention in high-risk communities.

“Research and caring for those afflicted/suffering with diabetes are top priorities for UCI Health,” says Dr. Michael Stamos, dean of UC Irvine School of Medicine. "We are leading the way in combating this insidious disease"

For these efforts in the battle against this disease, UCI Health — Orange is one of only 33 U.S. hospitals to be named a “Recognized Leader in Caring for People Living with Diabetes.”

“Responding to the urgency of the crisis not only safeguards women’s health and well-being, but can strengthen families and communities,” says Yang.

“Women are often the primary caregivers and their health is essential for broader societal resilience.”

Learn more about diabetes research and care at UCI Health ›

For more information or to schedule a consultation at the UCI Health Diabetes Center, please call 949-824-8656.