Prevalence of prediabetes and associated factors in the oldest old: a cross sectional study in the octabaix cohort

Abstract

Background: The leading high-risk state for diabetes mellitus (DM) – prediabetes – is increasing; however, a lack of information exists in oldest old subjects. The objective of this study is to describe the rate of prediabetes and the associated factors among community-dwelling 85-year-olds. Methods: A cross-sectional survey including data from 321 subjects on cardiovascular risk factors, functional status, comorbidities and laboratory tests was conducted. Participants were divided in three groups: normoglycemic (fasting plasma glucose (FPG) < 5.6 mmol/L), prediabetes (FPG 5.6–6.9 mmol/L) and DM (FPG ≥ 7 mmol/L, or DM diagnostic, or antidiabetics use). Comparative analysis was performed between the 3 groups. Results: One hundred seventy-nine (55.8%) participants were classified as normoglycemic, 86 (26.8%) as DM and 56 (17.4%) as prediabetic. Multinomial logistic regression model found no association of explanatory variables with normoglycemia in front of prediabetes, while there was significant association with DM (rather than prediabetes) and Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) treatment (OR: 7.04 95% CI 2.52–19.61), diuretics (OR: 2.46, 95% CI 1.04–5.78) and Charlson Index (OR: 2.67, 95% CI 1.77–4.02), with higher odds of being in DM than in prediabetic group. Conclusion: Prevalence of prediabetes is high among the 85-year-old population studied. The comparison between prediabetic and DM groups revealed that the major clinical differences were the higher Charlson comorbidity Index scores, diuretics and ACE drugs in the DM group.