Geriatric syndromes and the cumulative impacts on quality of life in older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Older people with diabetes commonly experience geriatric syndromes that affect health. Little is known about the occurrence of geriatric syndromes and the impacts on quality of life in Chinese older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to understand geriatric syndrome and its association with quality of life among this population. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 397 older people with diabetes were consecutively recruited from geriatric and endocrinology departments of a tertiary hospital using convenience sampling. Data on seven specific geriatric syndromes and quality of life were collected through checking medical records and distributing questionnaires. The participants had 2.81 ± 1.38 geriatric syndromes on an average, with prevalence of 94.7%. The presence of each geriatric syndrome had significantly negative association with the physical component summary and mental component summary of quality of life. The number of geriatric syndromes, co-morbidity, and diabetes duration explained 29.1% of the total variance in physical component summary. The number of geriatric syndromes and co-morbidity explained 23.4% of the total variation in mental component summary. The number of geriatric syndromes was the major contributing factor to lower quality of life compared with socio-demographics factors and diabetic conditions among older people with T2DM.