Prevalência e fatores associados ao diabetes mellitus em idosos na atenção primária: um estudo transversal.

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has become a relevant health problem, which has significant associations with socioeconomic, demographic factors and other health conditions. The objective of the present work was to analyze the prevalence of DM in the elderly population

of the city of Cuité-PB and identify the factors associated with this condition. This is a cross- sectional home study, carried out between November 2022 and September 2023 through the

application of semi-structured questionnaires at home to 345 elderly people from Cuité-PB. Sociodemographic information, health conditions, lifestyle habits and medication use were collected. Adherence to treatment was assessed using the Morisky-Green scale. The research was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee. Among those interviewed, 24.9% of the elderly self-reported having diabetes mellitus. The majority of participants were female (69.8%) with a mean age of 74.3 years (± 9.3 years). Metformin was the hypoglycemic agent with the highest frequency of use (15.9%). Having DM showed a positive statistical association with elderly people living in rural areas (RP 2.12; CI 1.09 - 4.11); patients with two or more comorbidities (PR 14.61; CI 8.14 - 26.37); self-reported Arterial Hypertension (RP 1.81; CI 1.09 - 3.04) and high cholesterol (PR 2.76; CI 1.66 - 4.60); negative self-rated health (PR 2.39; CI 1.37 - 4.19); medical consultation (PR 2.28; CI 1.14 - 4.56) and hospital admission (PR 2.14; CI 1.08 - 4.23); continuous use of medications (RP 10.25; CI 3.14 - 33.48) and using more than 5 medications (RP 4.30; CI 2.26 - 8.15). The factors associated with DM identified in this study offered specific insights to guide public health strategies and clinical practices aimed at the elderly population in this region.