Title
Aging, comorbidity, and reduced rates of drug treatment for diabetes mellitus.
UMMS Affiliation
Meyers Primary Care Institute; Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Publication Date
1999-08-01
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Comorbidity; Diabetes Mellitus; Drug Utilization; Female; Homes for the Aged; Hospitalization; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Insulin; Male; Medicaid; New Jersey; Nursing Homes; Prospective Studies; United States
Disciplines
Health Services Research | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Advanced age and its related comorbidity may affect both the patterns and goals of diabetes treatment. We examined the relationships of demographic variables and comorbidity with drug treatment for diabetes in the elderly. We studied both the 81,700 residents of New Jersey, aged 65-99 years, who were hospitalized between July 1, 1989 and June 30, 1991 and had prescription drug coverage either through Medicaid or the Pharmacy Assistance for the Aged and Disabled program, and a sample of 80,000 nonhospitalized elderly beneficiaries in these programs. Rates of utilization of insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs in the 120 days before admission were substantially lower in those aged > or = 85 or in nursing homes. Among patients with previously treated and diagnosed diabetes, the likelihood of treatment after discharge declined with older age (odds ratio [OR] for treatment in those aged > or =85 relative to 65-74 years: 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45-0.72), nursing home residence (OR: 0.30; CI: 0.22-0.41), and higher levels of comorbidity (OR for modified Charlson index > or = 5 relative to 0: 0.43; CI: 0.27-0.67). In patients who had a discharge diagnosis of diabetes but no prior treatment, those in nursing homes and those with greater comorbidity also had lower rates of diabetes treatment after discharge. Although the prevalence of diabetes increases with age and the risks of many consequences of diabetes remain high, the rate of drug treatment for diabetes declines with older age and greater comorbidity, perhaps because of concern about side effects or reduced treatment benefits due to competing risks of death. Absence of data from randomized clinical trials of diabetes treatment in the elderly appears to have resulted in considerable physician ambivalence on the benefits and risks of glycemic control in older diabetics.
Source
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology Volume 52, Issue 8, August 1999, Pages 781-790.
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Journal of clinical epidemiology
Related Resources
PubMed ID
10465323
Repository Citation
Glynn RJ, Monane M, Gurwitz JH, Choodnovskiy I, Avorn J. (1999). Aging, comorbidity, and reduced rates of drug treatment for diabetes mellitus.. Meyers Primary Care Institute Publications. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/meyers_pp/101