Diabetes Treatment Approaches and Blood Glucose Regulation in Elderly Patients - Retrospective Study

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common disorders in the geriatric population. In these cases, it is difficult to regulate blood sugar and determine the clinical follow-up planing due to comorbidities, cognitive dysfunction and polypharmacy. In this study, we wanted to evaluate the diabetic regulation status and selected treatment modalities in diabetic geriatric patients. Material and Methods: Seventy-five patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Fasting blood glucose, Hba1c levels and treatment modalities were recorded. The number of outpatient applications and related branches were also evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 71 ± 5 years. Mean fasting blood glucose and Hba1c levels were 133 ± 33 mg / dl and 6.98 ± 0.96, respectively. There was a positive correlation between fasting blood glucose levels and Hba1c levels and between LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels (p <0.001). Vitamin B12 levels were found to be significantly lower in patients with high serum glucose (p = 0.005). 37 patients (49.3%) were under treatment with oral antidiabetics and 30 patients (40%) with oral antidiabetic and insulin. The number of hospital admissions was 1-15 times (4 ± 2). In the last 6 months along with diabetes polyclinic, most of the patients were admitted to ophthalmology. Conclusion: In this study, we determined that the glucose regulation of the geriatric diabetic patients was acceptable. However, for the optimal treatment, follow-up methods for diabetes-related complications and standard scales like atherosclerosis risk scores are necessary