Endocrine Abstracts

The aims of the study were to determine the frequency of falls in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to evaluate the risk factors for falls. In the study, 100 (mean age 64.9±11.0 years) (65 females, 35 males) elderly patients with type 2 DM were enrolled. Medical record abstraction of sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data was performed retrospectively. Medication characteristics, comorbidities, location and height of fall, associated injuries and outcomes were obtained from patients history with questionnaire-based interviews. A fall was described to patients as ‘landing on the floor or ground, or falling and hitting an object like a table or stair.’ The frequency of falls found to be 21% in elderly diabetic patients, particularly in women. Mean duration of diabetes was 18.7±3.1 years in elderly who had fall. In this group, neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, stroke, coronary heart disease, arthritis, difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living and lowgrip strength and low walking speed were found to be in 20, 18, 5, 7, 5, 9, 4 and 5 patients respectively. Eleven patients reported using triple oral antidiabetic drug (OAD), three patients reported using OAD and insulin, seven patients reported using only insulin. Sedative treatment was seen in 11 patients. Mean duration of diabetes was 7.9±5.1 years in elderly patients who had no fall. Non-ground level falls (non-GLF) were recorded in six patients. Significantly higher injuries such as hip fracture were found in two patients. Mean levels of fasting and postprandial glucose and HbA1c were found to be 200.1±61.0 and 210.9±43.9 mg/dl and 11.1±0.1, respectively, in elderly patients who had fall. Falls are significant health problem among the diabetic elderly. Non-GLF account for 6% of patients and are associated with chronic diabetic complications, comorbidities, medications, difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living and low grip strength and low walking.