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World J Diabetes. Jun 15, 2017; 8(6): 278-285
Published online Jun 15, 2017. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v8.i6.278
Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the elderly
Funda Datli Yakaryılmaz, Zeynel Abidin Öztürk
Funda Datli Yakaryılmaz, Zeynel Abidin Öztürk, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, 27100 Sahinbey, Gaziantep, Turkey
Author contributions: Both authors contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Zeynel Abidin Öztürk, MD, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Osmangazi Avenue, University Street, 27100 Sahinbey, Gaziantep, Turkey. zabidinozturk@gantep.edu.tr
Telephone: +90-342-3416689 Fax: +90-342-3606060
Received: March 3, 2017
Peer-review started: March 7, 2017
First decision: April 18, 2017
Revised: May 11, 2017
Accepted: May 18, 2017
Article in press: May 19, 2017
Published online: June 15, 2017
Abstract

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is expected to increase gradually with the prolongation of population aging and life expectancy. In addition to macrovascular and microvascular complications of elderly patients of diabetes mellitus, geriatric syndromes such as cognitive impairment, depression, urinary incontinence, falling and polypharmacy are also accompanied by aging. Individual functional status in the elderly shows heterogeneity so that in these patients, there are many unanswered questions about the management of diabetes treatment. The goals of diabetes treatment in elderly patients include hyperglycemia and risk factors, as in younger patients. comorbid diseases and functional limitations of individuals should be taken into consideration when setting treatment targets. Thus, treatment should be individualized. In the treatment of diabetes in vulnerable elderly patients, hypoglycemia, hypotension, and drug interactions due to multiple drug use should be avoided. Since it also affects the ability to self-care in these patients, management of other concurrent medical conditions is also important.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Oral antidiabetic drugs, Insulin, Elderly

Core tip: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common lifelong chronic diseases in the world and its ratio is increasing by aging population. Elderly patients with type 2 DM have an increased risk for coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular diseases. While determining the treatment target and treatment options in elderly individuals, the functional capacity of the individual, comorbid diseases and treatment compliance should be evaluated together.