Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in elderly patients received enteral nutrition long-term care service

Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2008 Nov-Dec;47(3):383-93. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2007.09.001. Epub 2007 Oct 22.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determinate the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (UDM) using glycated hemoglobin (GHb) among functionally dependent and severe cognitive depressed elderly long-term care (LTC) patients received enteral nutrition. The patients were divided into three categories: control, patients with (diabetes mellitus, DM) and without previously diagnoses (UDM) of DM. Demographic, functional and cognitive status, laboratory data and rate of death were recorded. Patients with HbA-1c level of 7% and more were diagnosed as diabetic. On the baseline, 26% of the patients presented with known DM. Patients from control and previously UDM groups presented with similar fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and post-prandial glucose (PPG) levels, but were different by HbA-1c levels (p<0.001). In 79% of patients suffering from UDM, HbA-1c levels was more than 7%, and in 24% of them more than 8%. Prevalence of UDM was 21%. Patients from UDM were presented as borderline group between Control group (C-G) and DM. Those differences presented by all general characteristics of the patients: age, functional and cognitive status, BMI, comorbidity, laboratory data and rate of death. This study suggests that 47% of LTC patients who received enteral nutrition suffered from DM, and 44% of them were undiagnosed. The authors recommend that the GHb is a simple and an effective laboratory analysis in detection of DM in this group of patients.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Age Distribution
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Depressive Disorder / epidemiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / diagnosis*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / epidemiology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / etiology
  • Enteral Nutrition / adverse effects
  • Enteral Nutrition / methods
  • Enteral Nutrition / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Geriatric Assessment
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Glycated Hemoglobin / analysis*
  • Humans
  • Israel / epidemiology
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Long-Term Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Prognosis
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Prospective Studies
  • Reference Values
  • Risk Assessment
  • Sex Distribution
  • Skilled Nursing Facilities
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Survival Analysis

Substances

  • Glycated Hemoglobin A