Diabetes in Elderly Inpatients: Sociodemographic and Clinical Features in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Department

Abstract

J Abodo, A Y O Binan, K Dayoro, V Seux, O Reynaud-Levy, A Hué, R Amon, S Yapi, S Poussy, J-B Gbakayoro,P Koffi-Dago, A Lokrou, S Tassy, O Dalco, J Soubeyrand and F Retornaz

Objectives: Describe the sociodemographic and clinical features of elderly patients with diabetes who were admitted to an internal medicine and geriatrics department.

Patients and methods: In a retrospective study we collected the medical charts of patients admitted between 1 January, 2004, and 31 December 2007, to the Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Department of the Sainte Marguerite Teaching Hospital, Marseille, France. Patients aged 65 years or older who had diabetes according to the 1997 American Diabetes Association criterion of two fasting blood glucose levels equal to or greater than 1.26 g/L were involved in the study. We recorded the results of medical and the standardized geriatric evaluation routinely conducted in all patients admitted to our department. This evaluation includes assessments of depression, cognitive function, self-sufficiency, nutritional status, and co-morbidities through valided French version.

Results: We studied 145 diabetics on 1309 older patients (11.8%), average age to 79.6 years, the female was net, over threequarters were dependent on their environment. In addition to Metabolic complications, falls and cardiovascular pathologies were frequent reasons for consultation. The standardized geriatric assessment find a cognitive impairment and dependence in respectively 61.5% and 60.7% of cases. Depression was found in 43.4% cases undernutrition in 25.5% of the cases. The co-morbidity were dominated by heart failure and pressure sores.

Conclusion: This comparative study shows diffenrences in term of morbidity and mortality in two populations of older patients. Polypharmacy, hypoglycemia, falls and cognitive impairment higher in diabetic patients cause loss of autonomy. Geriatric evaluation and better management of diabetes is necessary in diabetic patients to prevent this situation.

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