Diabetes in the elderly: our reality

AIM: To evaluate the impact of the aging of our population in the growing of diabetes prevalence, among patients treated inward at our department. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The clinical files of 242 diabetics older than eighty years, treated between 1999 and 2002 were studied retrospectively. Demographic (sex, age, year of first contact), clinical (causes of admission, co-morbidities, duration of diabetes, previous hypoglycaemic treatment, duration of hospitalisation and evolution) and biochemical (glycaemia, HbA1c, lipaemia and C-peptide) data were recorded. RESULTS: A progressive rising in the number of aged patients was found during this period (seven in 1999 to 55 in 2002), with a large proportion of women (73%). The more frequent causes of in-hospital treatment were hyperglycaemia (20.6%) and feet ulcers (septic or necrotic) (16.5%). In nearly 42% of the cohort an acute infection was found. Diabetes was unknown in 13% of cases and less than ten years of duration in 38%. In this cohort most of the patients (77%) were treated with oral hypoglycaemic drugs, mostly sulfonylureas. HbA1c mean value was 10.4 +/- 2.2%; C -peptide was measured in a subset of cases (n=79), suggesting deficient insulin secretion in 18% of them. The global mean duration of hospitalisation was eleven days. Nineteen patients (8%) died during the hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we concluded that diabetes in people older than 75 years, is being progressively more often diagnosed. The general metabolic control was bad (HbA1c mean value--10.4 +/- 2.2%), with a significant number of patients presenting a deficient C-peptide secretion, worsened by frequent coexisting infections. So, a strengthened clinical care, directed to a careful diagnosis and treatment, may effectively contribute to a better prognosis and quality of life of aged diabetic patients