Endocrine Abstracts

Backgrounds and aims: The aims of the study were, on the one hand, to analize the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a population of institutionalized older people and, on the other hand, to evaluate if the anthropometric parameters and the prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia were different in diabetic patients compared with the group of non-diabetics.

Methods and material: A total of 312 institutionalized elderly people volunteers with a mean age of >65 years were selected, being 207 women and 105 men. They had preserved functional capacity and absence of cognitive impairment. Anthropometric variables were measured, test of physical performance were carried out and muscle mass was determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). For the diagnosis of sarcopenia, the criteria recommended by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) were used, which consist of using the presence of both low muscle mass and low muscle function (strength or performance), and the method to evaluate if the patients had malnutrition was the Mini Nutritional Assessment test.

Results: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in this population was 21.15%, being 57.6% of them women and 42.4% men (P 0.089). There were statistically significant differences in the variables age, weight, BMI, arm circumference, tricipital skinfold and abdominal circumference, between diabetic and non diabetic people, being all this variables higher in the diabetic group. According to the results of the MNA test, the prevalence of malnutrition in the diabetic group was of 52.2%, while in non diabetic people was 44% (P<0,05), and with regards to the prevalence of sarcopenia, there were statistically significant differences between the non diabetic group, in which the prevalence of sarcopenia was 27.3%, and diabetic people, with a higher prevalence (36.58%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 21.15%, which was higher in women than in men, without statistically significant differences. Moreover, there were significant differences in the anthropometric parameters evaluated and the prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia was higher in the diabetic group.