Diabetes Incidence Rate Increases Among 20-39 Year Olds; Doctors Warn of Asymptomatic Heart Failure
The incidence rate of diabetes among the 20-39 age group in Taiwan has increased by 21.5%. A doctor warns of the risk of developing heart failure without any symptoms. Experts advocate for integrated care covering the heart and kidneys, not just blood sugar, and the importance of regular heart failure index testing.
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- 📰 Published: May 13, 2026 at 18:45
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Central News Agency, Taipei, 13th - Reporter Chen Chieh-ling. The incidence rate of diabetes in Taiwan's young adult population aged 20 to 39 has increased by a staggering 21.5%. A doctor from Taipei City Hospital shared a case of a woman in her 30s, diagnosed with diabetes for only 2 years and asymptomatic, who suddenly couldn't breathe and was found to have late-stage heart failure in the emergency room.
Dr. Liao Kuo-meng, an attending physician in the Endocrinology and Metabolism Department at Taipei City Hospital, shared a real case from his clinic at a press conference today. He said a woman in her 30s, diagnosed with diabetes and obesity for just two years, showed no signs. When she sought medical help again, she was found to have late-stage heart failure, with severe cardiac hypertrophy and decreased contractility. 'If we could have tested and intervened for her earlier two years ago, the course of her disease would have been different,' he said.
Dr. Hsu Chih-cheng, CEO of the Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology at the National Health Research Institutes, explained based on the 2024 Taiwan Diabetes Atlas and NHI database that the incidence of diabetes in Taiwan's 20-39 age group has surged by 21.5%. The younger age of onset accelerates the deterioration of the cardiovascular system in patients. The risk of heart failure in diabetic patients is 84% higher than in the general population.
Dr. Hsu stated that a large-scale cohort study of 1.9 million people published in The Lancet years ago confirmed that peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease are the most common 'first-onset' cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes and heart failure are in a vicious cycle; diabetes increases the risk of heart failure by 2 to 4 times, and heart failure increases the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 2 to 3 times.
The typical symptoms of heart failure, 'fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling,' are indicators of impaired heart function and have an extremely high mortality rate. Dr. Liao pointed out that local Taiwanese research shows the risk of heart failure in diabetic patients is already elevated in the 'asymptomatic' stage. He recommends that diabetics undergo precise testing of their heart failure index (NT-proBNP) annually and use standard drugs with proven organ protection, such as SGLT2 inhibitors, as early as possible.
Dr. Wang Ching-yuan, a director of the Taiwanese Association of Diabetes Educators, noted that research has found that even before typical symptoms appear, the heart function of Asian patients may have already entered the 'pre-clinical heart failure' stage. Doctors and patients should work together to upgrade from single glucose management to comprehensive integrated care for the heart, kidneys, and metabolism.
Chen Liang-yu, Director-General of the National Health Insurance Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated that in response to the 'Healthy Taiwan' vision and the '888 Plan for Prevention and Control of Three Highs,' and striving to achieve the national goal of reducing the standardized mortality rate of chronic diseases by 1/3 by 2030, she highly affirms the society's consensus on the risk of diabetic heart failure. Taiwan has 8.5 million patients with 'three highs,' of whom 7 million have 'two highs,' making integrated care for comorbidities an urgent matter. (Editor: Lee Hsi-chang) 1150513
Dr. Liao Kuo-meng, an attending physician in the Endocrinology and Metabolism Department at Taipei City Hospital, shared a real case from his clinic at a press conference today. He said a woman in her 30s, diagnosed with diabetes and obesity for just two years, showed no signs. When she sought medical help again, she was found to have late-stage heart failure, with severe cardiac hypertrophy and decreased contractility. 'If we could have tested and intervened for her earlier two years ago, the course of her disease would have been different,' he said.
Dr. Hsu Chih-cheng, CEO of the Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology at the National Health Research Institutes, explained based on the 2024 Taiwan Diabetes Atlas and NHI database that the incidence of diabetes in Taiwan's 20-39 age group has surged by 21.5%. The younger age of onset accelerates the deterioration of the cardiovascular system in patients. The risk of heart failure in diabetic patients is 84% higher than in the general population.
Dr. Hsu stated that a large-scale cohort study of 1.9 million people published in The Lancet years ago confirmed that peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease are the most common 'first-onset' cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes and heart failure are in a vicious cycle; diabetes increases the risk of heart failure by 2 to 4 times, and heart failure increases the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 2 to 3 times.
The typical symptoms of heart failure, 'fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling,' are indicators of impaired heart function and have an extremely high mortality rate. Dr. Liao pointed out that local Taiwanese research shows the risk of heart failure in diabetic patients is already elevated in the 'asymptomatic' stage. He recommends that diabetics undergo precise testing of their heart failure index (NT-proBNP) annually and use standard drugs with proven organ protection, such as SGLT2 inhibitors, as early as possible.
Dr. Wang Ching-yuan, a director of the Taiwanese Association of Diabetes Educators, noted that research has found that even before typical symptoms appear, the heart function of Asian patients may have already entered the 'pre-clinical heart failure' stage. Doctors and patients should work together to upgrade from single glucose management to comprehensive integrated care for the heart, kidneys, and metabolism.
Chen Liang-yu, Director-General of the National Health Insurance Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated that in response to the 'Healthy Taiwan' vision and the '888 Plan for Prevention and Control of Three Highs,' and striving to achieve the national goal of reducing the standardized mortality rate of chronic diseases by 1/3 by 2030, she highly affirms the society's consensus on the risk of diabetic heart failure. Taiwan has 8.5 million patients with 'three highs,' of whom 7 million have 'two highs,' making integrated care for comorbidities an urgent matter. (Editor: Lee Hsi-chang) 1150513