Diabetes and frailty in the elderly: a cross-sectional study of an outpatient population

Introduction: Screening for frailty syndrome, a marker of mortality risk, dependence, and institutionalization, is currently recommended in primary care to prevent its consequences effectively. Elderly diabetic individuals represent a significant and growing proportion of general practitioners' patient population, but their frailty status compared to the non-diabetic population is poorly understood. Objective: To study the relationship between diabetes and frailty in individuals aged 75 and older in general medicine. Method: A total of 309 patients were included, among them 64 were diabetic patients, with a male/female ratio of 0.72. The proportion of frail elderly people was comparable between diabetics (24 %) and non-diabetics (27.6 %), as was the mean Fried score (1.78 vs. 1.56; not significant). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant difference in the risk of frailty, which was multiplied by 2.14 in diabetics without complications compared with non-diabetics, [95 % CI=2.03 to 2.25, p<2e(-16)]. Conclusion: Larger-scale studies at multiple outpatient sites should be conducted in general medicine among subjects aged over 75. Frailty management should be continued and carried out in patients whether they are diabetic or not.