Abstract:

Objective: Our study aimed to determine the factors related to frailty in elderly adults having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Material and Method: A total of 108 people aged 65 and over, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, were included in the study. The frailty of the participants was evaluated with the FRAIL questionnaire, their nutritional status was evaluated with the Mini Nutrition Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), the depression status with the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ2) and the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF), while the quality of life was evaluated with the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ5D) and Scoring the EQ-VAS, and personal care status were evaluated with Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) forms. Results: Sleep problems, fear of falling, presence of urinary incontinence, PHQ2, GDS-SF, and EQ5D scores were significantly higher; the MNASF score was significantly lower in the frail group than the values in the non-frail group (p<0.05, for all). Conclusion: The relationship between frailty and malnutrition, decreased quality of life, and increased depression in elderly diabetic patients was demonstrated in the present study. As all these factors have a place in the management of diabetes,awareness should be raised and frailty screening should be expanded in elderly diabetics.

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