Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Apr 15, 2024; 15(4): 638-644
Published online Apr 15, 2024. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i4.638
Prevalence and risk factors of diabetes mellitus among elderly patients in the Lugu community
Li-Zhen Zhao, Wei-Min Li, Ying Ma
Li-Zhen Zhao, Wei-Min Li, Ying Ma, Lugu Community Health Service Center, West Campus Beijing Chao-yang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing 100043, China
Author contributions: Zhao LZ designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Zhao LZ and Li WM contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Zhao LZ and Ma Y conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; and all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research, No. 2023-3S-002.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethic Committee of West Campus Beijing Chao-yang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University (approval No. 2023-Section-149).
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because it is a retrospective study and the data came from electronic medical records in the hospital.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: All data and materials are available from the corresponding author.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li-Zhen Zhao, MM, Doctor, Lugu Community Health Service Center, West Campus Beijing Chao-yang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No. 2 Liuheyuan, Lugu Community, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100043, China. zlz09302022@126.com
Received: December 19, 2023
Peer-review started: December 19, 2023
First decision: January 9, 2024
Revised: January 29, 2024
Accepted: February 27, 2024
Article in press: February 27, 2024
Published online: April 15, 2024
Processing time: 114 Days and 23.6 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

The pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) is complicated and involves many factors. For elderly people, the pathophysiological changes caused by aging affect internal metabolic regulation, thus promoting the occurrence of DM; subsequently, aging and DM interact to further promote the progression of diabetic complications. The aging population and changing lifestyles have made DM more common among older adults.

Research motivation

It is necessary to consider the glycemic indices of the elderly population, focusing on those who may have DM or have been diagnosed. Understanding the prevalence of DM among elderly people in a certain area and discussing the risk factors related to DM are conducive to carrying out targeted interventions for the local elderly population and developing effective blood glucose (BG) management strategies.

Research objectives

To explore the prevalence of DM among elderly people in the Lugu community and analyze the related risk factors to provide a valid scientific basis for the health management of elderly people.

Research methods

A total of 4816 elderly people who came to the community for physical examination were retrospectively analyzed. The prevalence of DM among the elderly was calculated. The individuals were divided into a DM group and a non-DM group according to the diagnosis of DM to compare the differences blood pressure (DBP) in diastolic and systolic blood pressure (SBP), fasting BG (FBG), BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and incidence of hypertension (HT), coronary heart disease, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Research results

DM was diagnosed in 32.70% of the 4816 elderly people. The BMI of the DM group (25.16 ± 3.35) was greater than that of the non-DM group (24.61 ± 3.78). The WHR was 0.90 ± 0.04 in the non-DM group and 0.90 ± 0.03 in the DM group, with no significant difference. The left SBP and SBP in the DM group were 137.9 mmHg ± 11.92 mmHg and 69.95 mmHg ± 7.75 mmHg, respectively, while they were 126.6 mmHg ± 12.44 mmHg and 71.15 mmHg ± 12.55 mmHg, respectively, in the non-DM group. These findings indicate higher SBP and lower DBP in DM patients than in those without DM. In the DM group, 1274 patients were diagnosed with HT, accounting for 80.89%. Among the 3241 non-DM patients, 1743 (53.78%) were hypertensive and 1498 (46.22%) were nonhypertensive. The DM group had more cases of HT than did the non-DM group. There were more patients with coronary heart disease or CKD in the DM group than in the non-DM group. There were more patients who drank alcohol more frequently (≥ 3 times) in the DM group than in the non-DM group.

Research conclusions

Older adults in the Lugu community are at a higher risk of DM. In the elderly population, DM is closely related to high BMI and HT. Physical examinations should be actively carried out for elderly people to determine their BMI, SBP, DBP, and other signs, and sufficient attention should be given to abnormalities in the above signs before further diagnosis.

Research perspectives

The findings of this paper provide a valid scientific basis for the health management of elderly individuals in the Lugu community.