Risk Factors and Their Impact on Diabetes Mellitus in Elderly People

Vollständiger Abstract

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Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and disrupted carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, representing a growing health issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly among the elderly. This study evaluated the accumulation and distribution of identified risk factors among 108 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (54 females and 54 males) treated at the Clinical Center University of Sarajevo. Evaluated risk factors included age, sex, hyperlipidemia, adiposity, family history, smoking, hypertension, and elevated fibrinogen levels. The overall mean number of identified risk factors was 4.11 per patient (SD = 1.32, range: 1–8). Female patients exhibited a slightly higher mean (4.26, SD = 1.36) than male patients (3.96, SD = 1.27), but this difference was not statistically significant (t = 1.18, df = 106, p = 0.240). Overall, 80.56% of patients presented with 3–5 risk factors, 12.04% with 6 or more, and only 7.41% with 2 or fewer, showing no significant association between sex and risk burden category (p = 0.670). In conclusion, elderly patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit a high cumulative risk-factor burden that is comparable between sexes, underscoring the need for comprehensive, multi-targeted intervention strategies in clinical practice.