Diabetes in Old Age: Particularities and Specifics

Abstract

Diabetes (DM) is a significant risk factor for the onset and development of late diabetic complications at any age. In the elderly, DM often occurs as part of multimorbidity and can contribute to the onset and development of disability. The treatment of DM in old age is based on the same principles as for younger individuals. When choosing therapy for DM, the following should be taken into account: age, life expectancy, the presence of complications, self-sufficiency, economic conditions, eating habits and other handicaps. The authors report their own experience from the outpatient practice of DM type 2 treatment. The authors discuss the growth of the elderly population in relation to organ changes with the ageing process, as well as issues of multimorbidity, the specifics of the clinical picture of diseases in old age and the problem of polypharmacy both from the perspective of ageing and old age and the relationship to diabetes as a comorbidity.