High Prevalence of Hypoglycemia in People Above the Age of 75 without Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Hypoglycemia, especially at old age, can lead to several major problems, such as falls and cognitive deficits. The aim of our study was to detect hypoglycemia in older persons with and without diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM).Methods: The frequency and duration of hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia was studied in ambulatory geriatric (>75 years), non-diabetic persons (Group 1, n=10), using real time Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM, Dexcom G6), and in age- and sex-matched cognitively-healthy, T2DM patients having HbA1c levels < 9.0% (Group 2, n=10). The device was used during 20 days per person, who was blinded for the values on the receiver (except in case of severe hypo- or hyperglycemia). Data were stored for further analysis on the Dexcom Clarity Portal.Results: Hypoglycemia occurred frequently in older persons without T2DM, despite absence of hypoglycemia-inducing medication. In this group, people had 0.50% (median value) of the time glycemic values below 70 mg/dL, most of the episodes happened during nighttime. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that hypoglycemia occurs frequently in non-diabetic older persons. Further studies are needed to determine whether this could be part of the normal aging process, and to determine if hypoglycemia might contribute to cognitive deterioration.