Question

The goal for healthy elderly patients with diabetes should be near-normal, fasting plasma glucose levels without hypoglycemia. Although acceptable glucose control must be carefully individualized, the elderly tend to be predisposed to hypoglycemia. List five factors that predispose elderly patients to hypoglycemia.

Answer 1

Answer: It is difficult to achieve the target of glycaemic goals while avoiding hypoglycemia as it is a major challenge in the management of elderly patients with diabetes mellitus as hypoglycemia is a side effect of strict diabetes control. Elderly patients with diabetes often have some of the problem with the renal function hence it interferes with drug elimination and thus predisposes them to prolonged life-threatening hypoglycemia. The elderly patient are prone to drug-associated hypoglycemia. Sometimes drugs like as ACE inhibitors and nonselective beta-adrenoceptor antagonists can also predispose patients to hypoglycemia.