Diabetes is extremely common in elderly people
It can't be denied that there is a strong link between diabetes and age, though several other factors also have a role to play in this. Several research studies have backed the suggestions given by health experts on keeping an eye on the blood sugar level after a certain age.
"Diabetes is extremely common in elderly people," says Dr V Mohan. Citing a research study done at the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation Dr Mohan says the study found that in Chennai, at age 55 almost 50% of the population have diabetes and another 25-30% have prediabetes.
"By the age 55 almost 75% of the population of metropolitan cities is diabetic"
Emphasizing on the findings of the study, Dr Mohan says, "by the age of 55 almost 70-75% of the total population in metropolitan cities like Chennai are diabetic or pre-diabetic and only 20% of the population has normal glucose tolerance."
Mild age related diabetes (MARD)
When diabetes comes after age 50-60, it is mild in nature. Medically it is referred to as mild age related diabetes or MARD. This is a subtype which accounts for around 40% of the diabetes cases. These people have only mild difficulty with blood sugar control.
"The older you are in getting diabetes, the less complications you are likely to develop," says Dr Mohan and warns that despite this being a good point, these people need to keep an eye on their blood sugar else their quality of life will be marred.
Risk of infection
If blood sugar is not brought under control in senior citizens, it will lead to severe infections.
Infections in feet, urinary infection, are commonly seen in older people with diabetes.
Older people need to be treated differently than younger people
"If older people develop a low sugar condition which is called hypoglycaemia, it can lead to devastating effects on the body. This condition can trigger a heart problem or even a stroke," explains Dr Mohan.
Hence it is important to keep the targets of diabetes less rigid for older people.
Adding to this, he says normally we keep the Hb1Ac limit for younger people between 6.5-7, but for elderly even 7.5 is considered alright. For those with heart issues and other comorbidities even 8 is considered fine, explains the expert.
Tips to manage diabetes
The expert shares the following tips to manage diabetes:
Regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. If it is high, try to bring it down to normal
Regular physical activity is inevitable. Physical activity maintains the blood sugar, body weight, prevents fall, maintains muscle mass, helps in digestion and also improves memory, cognitive function, etc.
Due to the risk of hypoglycaemia, it is always advisable for elderly people to have a caretaker.
In elderly people, the diet should be given extra care as digestion issues are commonly seen in them partly due to slower digestion and also partly due to dental problems like loss of teeth.
Good quality sleep of 6-8 hours and getting into bed at the proper time also subsides diabetes.
Medicines like Sulfonylureas which cause hypoglycemia, should not be given to elderly people. High power medicines like glibenclamide should be avoided for older people.
DPP-4 inhibitors are gentler drugs that are found to be safe for elderly.
"I have seen in my practice many people living above 95 despite having diabetes for 50 years. The good news is that long and healthy life is possible with diabetes," he adds.
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