Aim: The objective of the METABOLIC Study was to evaluate overall health status, with particular focus on assessment of functional status of older patients taking oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) treatment.
Methods: The study included 1342 type 2 diabetes patients aged ≥ 65 years treated with OADs, with or without insulin, who had been referred to outpatients clinics across Italy. Information on diabetes (duration, medications taken during the last 3 months, hypoglycaemic events and diabetic complications) was collected by questionnaire, and the patients' overall health status was assessed using a multidimensional prognostic index.
Results: The sample recruited (mean age: 73.3 ± 5.5 years) had a mean duration of diabetes of 11.3 ± 8.2 years. Half were taking sulphonylureas alone or together with other medications, 9.7% were taking insulin in combination with other OADs, almost 30% were using biguanides and 6.2% were taking dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. Also, 12% of patients reported hypoglycaemic events, 90% of whom were taking insulin or sulphonylureas. In addition, 81% of the participants were completely independent in their activities of daily living, while 19% were mildly, moderately or severely disabled. Age, female gender, hypoglycaemic events, neuropathy and low diastolic blood pressure were the main variables associated with disability.
Conclusion: Disability is common in older diabetic patients and some associated factors, such as hypoglycaemia and low diastolic blood pressure, have been identified. Also identified was malnutrition as a specific factor associated with hypoglycaemic events independent of the use of insulin and sulphonylureas.
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