FinnDiane LifeOne Study - Impact of Ageing on People With Type 1 Diabetes (LifeOne)

December 18, 2025 updated by: Lena M. Thorn, Helsinki University Central Hospital

Healthy aging refers to functional ability that enables well-being in older individuals. The focus thus shifts from chronological age to functional capacity and the individual's own experience of well-being. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and premature death. However, the life expectancy of individuals with type 1 diabetes has significantly improved due to advances in diabetes care.

There is limited research on aging with type 1 diabetes, and this study is at the forefront of addressing this gap by examining aging-and especially healthy aging-in type 1 diabetes from multiple perspectives. The goals are to investigate how individuals with type 1 diabetes age and what their functional capacity is compared to individuals without insulin-treated diabetes. The other aim is to identify factors in midlife that predict healthy aging in people with type 1 diabetes.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Detailed Description

Ageing with type 1 diabetes is an emerging challenge due to improved life-expectancy of people with type 1 diabetes. While those who survive to an older age are considered survivors, the many years with type 1 diabetes and the chronic dysglycaemia inevitably also has negative health impacts on people living with this chronic disease. With scarce research in this area, ageing in type 1 diabetes has been identified as a research gap.

With this study, the aim is to assess the impact of ageing in people with type 1 diabetes via thorough characterization of older adults with type 1 diabetes, in comparison to matched controls. This will be accomplished through a comprehensive assessment of the participants' metabolic profile, body composition, vascular health, autonomic function, and a geriatric assessment focusing on the functional ability of the participants. In addition, this study will assess what type of challenges older adults with type 1 diabetes face regarding self-management, diabetes care, and daily life.

This study is a sub-study of the national Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study, initiated in 1997 and including adults with type 1 diabetes. Individuals over 65 living in the Helsinki capital area will now be invited for a regular FinnDiane study visit, as well as an additional visit for a geriatric assessment. The aim is to study 300 FinnDiane study participants and recruit a minimum of 100 matched controls. This cohort will be prospectively followed with a revisit after three to five years.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

400

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Finland
      • Helsinki, Finland
        • HUS Helsinki University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants of the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study living in the Helsinki capital area. Controls will be recruited from spouses to match for sex and socioeconomic factors.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants of the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • With age above 65 years
  • Informed consent provided

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age below 65 years

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Type 1 diabetes
Participants of the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study, age above 65 years.
Controls
Age above 65 years, no diabetes with insulin therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Healthy ageing in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Time Frame: From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
Key Characteristics and Clinical Implications of healthy aging in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus
From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Physical capacity
Time Frame: From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
The locomotor domain of the individual's intrinsic capacity, based on the framework for healthy ageing.
From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
Cognitive function
Time Frame: From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
The cognitive domain of the individual's intrinsic capacity, based on the framework for healthy ageing.
From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
Psychological well-being
Time Frame: From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
The psychological domain of the individual's intrinsic capacity, based on the framework for healthy ageing.
From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
Vitality
Time Frame: From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
The vitality domain of the individual's intrinsic capacity, based on the framework for healthy ageing.
From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
Sensory function
Time Frame: From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.
The sensory domain of the individual's intrinsic capacity, based on the framework for healthy ageing.
From initial enrollment in the FinnDiane Study until the LifeOne follow-up visit after three to five years.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Helsinki University Central Hospital

Collaborators

University of Helsinki
Folkhälsan Research Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 29, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 3, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 3, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

December 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 18, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HUS/4387/2023

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual-level data for the study participants are not publicly available because of the restrictions due to the study consent provided by the participant at the time of data collection. Researchers may propose collaboration to research the individual level data with correspondence with the lead investigator.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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