Increased Risk of Diabetes in Older Patients with Disabilities

The observational study performed by Barbara H. Bardenheier, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues consisted of 22,878 adults aged 51 years or older who did not have diabetes at baseline. The study assessed baseline disability status and incident disability with subsequent risk of diabetes at follow-up. Based on a validated scale of mobility measures, disability was defined as none, mild, moderate, or severe. Diabetes was identified by a participant reported diagnosis from a doctor.

The researchers found that 41.2% of participants reported some level of mobility disability at baseline. At an average of 8.7 years of follow-up, an additional 35.7% of participants developed mobility disability and 15.5% developed diabetes. A statistically significant dose-response relationship was found between level of mobility disability and risk of diabetes. Researchers found that according to the level of mobility disability, the increased risk of diabetes in the main study group ranged from 28-63% with those participants at severe mobility disability at baseline closer to the 63% end of the spectrum.

The findings of the study suggest that even with the slightest baseline disability, patients are at an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Bardenheier, Barbara H, et. al. "Association of Functional Decline With Subsequent Diabetes Incidence in U.S. Adults Aged 51 Years and Older: The Health and Retirement Study 1998–2010." Diabetes Care.

American Diabetes Association, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2014/02/18/dc13-2216.abstract>.