People with neurodiversity, particularly autism and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), may be more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at younger ages, with particularly high prevalence of neurodiversity observed among individuals diagnosed with T2D before the age of 20, finds an analysis of patient data being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (September 28–October 2.
With prevalences of ADHD and autism among those aged under 20 years reaching as high as 14% and 5%, respectively, the authors underscore the importance of considering the needs of neurodivergent people when planning clinical services and support for those with early-onset T2D.
“Health systems are failing to fully meet the needs of people living with both early-onset T2D and neurodiversity, both of which are linked to poorer health outcomes,” said lead author Dr Jonathan Goldney from the University of Leicester Diabetes Research Centre and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester UK. “Neurodivergent people and those living with early-onset T2D are likely to face unique challenges when navigating busy healthcare environments, communicating with healthcare professionals, and managing their diabetes.
“Providing healthcare for T2D in a suitable way for neurodivergent individuals is critical to making healthcare more accessible for everyone, particularly as more people are being diagnosed with T2D earlier in life.”
Rates of early-onset T2D, defined as diagnosis before the age of 40, are rising and are associated with poorer health outcomes. Challenges engaging with healthcare and the burden of managing diabetes can be compounded by stigma and the competing demands of early adulthood. Being diagnosed with T2D at a younger age also means a longer lifetime exposure to the condition, increasing the risk of serious complications and early death.
To better understand this growing and under-served population, researchers examined the prevalence of neurodiversity (ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia) among 4.2 million individuals newly diagnosed with T2D from the TriNetX US collaborative network [1] between March 2006 and March 2026, who were grouped by age at diagnosis into 10-year age bands.
Each 10-year age group was then matched by age, year of birth, sex, ethnicity and race to 17.1 million individuals without T2D, to account for demographic differences between those with and without T2D. In total, 3.4 million matched pairs aged younger than 80 years were included in the analysis.
Overall, among people both with and without T2D, the prevalence of neurodiversity was highest at younger ages and declined rapidly with increasing age, becoming extremely low beyond the age of 40 years (see figure in notes to editor).
However, both ADHD and autism were consistently more prevalent among people with T2D, with the greatest differences observed at younger ages. For example, ADHD was over twice as prevalent among people diagnosed with T2D before the age of 20 compared to similarly aged individuals without T2D (14.4% vs 6.9%). This difference generally declined with age, with ADHD around 1.4 times more prevalent among people diagnosed with T2D at age 70–79 years (0.25% vs 0.18%).
Similarly, autism was more than three times as prevalent among people diagnosed with T2D before the age of 20 compared to those without T2D (5.72% vs 1.79%). The difference was smaller among those diagnosed at age 70–79 years, in whom autism was 1.24 times higher. However, prevalence of autism was extremely low in the 70–79 years group with or without T2D —less than 0.01% in both groups.
Similarly, dyslexia and dyspraxia were more prevalent among younger people. Overall, people with T2D were about twice as likely to have dyslexia as those without T2D, but this didn’t appear to vary in an obvious pattern with age.
The authors speculate that several factors may contribute to the association between neurodivergent conditions and T2D, including lower levels of physical activity, sleep difficulties, medication use, mental health conditions and barriers to accessing healthcare. Factors earlier in life may also play a role. For example, maternal diabetes has been associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes and later cardiometabolic risk in children.
“Our findings by no means suggest that most people with a neurodivergent condition will go on to develop type 2 diabetes,” says Dr Goldney. “However, the higher prevalence of neurodiversity among people diagnosed with T2D earlier in life should be considered when planning services for people with early-onset T2D. Taking neurodiversity into account could help reduce potential barriers to accessing and engaging with healthcare.”
The authors point out that, although the study was large, its observational design means that it cannot establish cause and effect, and the influence of other factors that were not measured cannot be ruled out. The study also relied on anonymised hospital records which may be prone to errors and are not specifically designed for research. They also note that people with neurodivergent conditions may have more frequent contact with healthcare professionals, potentially increasing opportunities for a T2D diagnosis and influencing the findings. Additionally, because the study only included people who had attended hospital, it may not be fully representative of the wider population and could exclude healthier individuals. This may have affected the prevalence estimates, particularly among younger people without T2D.
They add that future studies should explore the factors underlying the association between neurodivergent conditions and T2D, and whether diabetes care that takes neurodiversity into account can improve health outcomes.
26-Sep-2026
The authors declare no conflicts of interest