Prevalência, uso de serviços de saúde e cuidados direcionados à pessoas idosas com diabetes tipo II no Brasil.

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease, characterized by insulin resistance or insufficient production of this hormone, which can lead individuals to complications. Among Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), type 2 DM is one of the biggest causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, becoming a public health problem, due to its prevalence, as well as its impact on reducing functionality and quality of life, in addition to the high investment for control and treatment. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of type II diabetes among the elderly population in Brazil according to sociodemographic characteristics and describe characteristics of access to health services and care provided to diabetic elderly people. Method: Cross-sectional, descriptive study that analyzed secondary data from the National Health Survey (PNS). The sample used to estimate the prevalence of type 2 DM was 22,027 elderly people who were part of the third stage of PNS selection, of which 4,305 reported having type II diabetes and were part of the sample to analyze access to health services and care aimed at elderly diabetics. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, considering prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). To evaluate the association between the independent variables and type 2 DM, a bivariate step was used using the chi-square test. Results: The prevalence of type 2 DM in the elderly population was 20.8% (95%CI: 20.0-21.8), being higher among elderly females (21.7%; 95%CI: 20 .6-22.9), in the age groups of 70 to 79 years (23.7%; 22.0-25.4), with self-reported yellow and/or indigenous skin color (24.8%; 95% CI: 17 .4-34.0), among those who lived without a partner (21.1%; 95% CI: 19.9-22.4), among those with 0 to 8 years of education (22.5%; 95% CI: 21.5-23.6), with lower socioeconomic status, classes C, D and E (21.8% CI95%:20.8-22.7), among residents of urban areas (21.5%, CI95% : 20.5-22.5) and the Central-West Regions (23.1%, 95%CI: 20.5- 26.0) and Southeast (21.5%, 95%CI: 19.9-21.5 ). Among elderly people who self-reported type 2 DM, 72.4% (95%CI: 69.9-74.6) reported seeking health services for follow-up, of which 47.1% (95%CI:44.5-49 ,9) at UBS and 96.2% (95%CI: 95.1-97.1) reported using oral hypoglycemic agents. Conclusion: Type 2 DM affects almost 21 elderly people, out of every 100, in Brazil, with less than half of them being treated at the UBS, with a need for improvements in guidelines for controlling complications, such as eye and foot care.