INFECTION RISK IN ELDERLY PEOPLE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO HAVE UNCONTROLLED DIABETES

resumen

Atef Eid Madkour Elsayed*, Hind Sahal Almutlaq, Mohammed Abbas M Aalem, Hebah Abdullah Alenazi, Rawan Mansour Alzehair Alqahtani, Esraa Abdulsalam Hasan Meeralam, Amirah Awadh Hassan Alqahtani, Rawabi Ali Alshammri, Abdulmalik Abdulrahman Fakeeh, Dareen Yassir Saleh Makki10, Rania Ahmed Alhawsawi

Background: It has long been known that people with diabetes who have hyperglycaemia are more vulnerable to infections, but the precise relationship between glycemic levels and infection risk remains underexplored, especially in older adults. Current guidelines allow for uncontrolled diabetes in elderly patients, but the implications of this on infection risks are not well understood. This study investigates how varying fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and uncontrolled diabetes affect infection-related hospitalization and mortality in elderly individuals have diabetes type 2.

Methods: Data from 1,000 participants who were 40 years of age or older were evaluated for this study. The study connected health insurance and mortality databases with demographic information, lifestyle factors, and clinical assessments. FPG ≥126 mg/dL or the usage of hypoglycaemic medications during the previous 12 months were considered indicators of diabetes. Infection-related hospitalizations and mortality were tracked, with Cox proportional hazards models used to evaluate diabetes impact on risk of infection while adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: Diabetes affected 11.6% of the entire group. Infection-related hospitalization was considerably more common in diabetics (6.1%) than in non-diabetics (3.3%, p < 0.001). Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) were significantly more common in people with diabetes. The overall infection-related mortality rate was also higher among diabetics (8.3%) compared to non-diabetics (5.1%, p = 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that diabetes was a significant risk factor for both infection-related hospitalization (adjusted HR: 1.87) and infection-related mortality (adjusted HR: 1.53). Older adults (≥65 years) with diabetes had the highest risk of hospitalization for infections (adjusted HR: 2.31).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that diabetes, particularly with uncontrolled diabetes, significantly increases the risk of infection-related hospitalization and mortality. These findings highlight the need for stricter glycemic management, especially in elderly patients, to reduce the incidence of infections and improve health outcomes. More studies are required to investigate glycemic variability role and other factors in infection prevention among diabetic populations.