• Spouses of people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop the condition themselves and should be tested regularly, researchers say
• Men are more likely to be diagnosed late as they go for less regular check-ups
  

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Marrying a diabetic could increase your chances of developing the condition, according to new research.

A study found that the spouses of people with type 2 diabetes are 26 per cent more likely to develop the condition themselves.

The findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine, could improve diabetes detection and motivate couples to work together to cut down the risk of developing the condition.

However, experts warn that men with a diabetic spouse are more likely to suffer from undetected diabetes and as a result should watch out for early signs.

Dr Kaberi Dasgupta, from the McGill University Health Centre in Canada, said: ‘We found a 26 per cent increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes if your spouse also has type 2 diabetes.

‘This may be a platform to assist clinicians to develop strategies to involve both partners.

‘Changing health behaviour is challenging and if you have the collaboration of your partner it’s likely to be easier.’

The team wanted to discover if diabetes in one partner could lead to the other partner developing the condition, because many of the behaviours that lead to it, poor eating habits and a lack of exercise, could be shared within a household.

Researchers analysed results from six studies that looked at age, socio-economic status and the way in which diabetes was diagnosed in 75,498 couples.

The studies showed a strong link for people with diabetic partners developing the condition.

‘Our results suggest spousal history may be another factor we should take in consideration.’

Spousal diabetes was also found to be a potential tool for early diabetes detection.

The spouses of people with diabetes are more likely to develop the condition as they pick up their partners’ poor eating habits

‘The results of our review suggest that diabetes diagnosis in one spouse may warrant increased surveillance in the other,’ added Dr Dasgupta.

‘Moreover, it has been observed that men are less likely than women to undergo regular medical evaluation after childhood and that can result in delayed diabetes detection.

‘As a result, men living with a spouse with diabetes history may particularly benefit from being followed more closely.’

From http://www.dailymail.co.uk

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