DETECTION OF DIABETES MELLITUS IN THE OLDER POPULATION OF A LARGE RUSSIAN CITY

One of the major problems of modern medicine is the epidemics of diabetes mellitus (DM). Population ageing, increased life expectancy, and improved treatment quality make this problem one of the key healthcare targets.

Aim. To assess the diagnostic value of different criteria in the DM detection among megapolis-dwelling participants of a population study, aged 55 years and older.

Material and methods. The cross-sectional data came from a representative sample of SAHR (Survey on Stress, Aging, and Health in Russia) study (n=1868, including 893 men; response rate 64%). All participants underwent a standard questionnaire survey on socio￾demographic characteristics, risk factors (RFs), and medical history, as well as a clinical and laboratory examination, with the measurement of fasting glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). DM was diagnosed if at least one of following criteria was met: 1) positive response to the question “Has a doctor ever told you that you have diabetes?”; 2) fasting glucose ≥7,0 mmol/l; and 3) HbA1c ≥6,5%. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS (version 16.0) and SAS (version 6.12).

Results. Anamnestic evidence of DM was obtained in 11,3% of the participants (10,3% of men and 12,2% of women). Levels of HbA1c ≥6,5% were registered in 16,6% (16,1% of men and 17,0% of women). Hyperglycemia (fasting glucose ≥7,0 mmol/l) was observed in 13,3% (15,3% of men and 11,5% of women). The prevalence of DM, according to all three diagnostic criteria, reached 25,3% (24,9% in men and 25,6% in women). More than a half of DM patients were not aware of their diabetes. There were no statistically significant differences in the assessed parameters by gender, age, or education.

Conclusion. It is important to strengthen the potential of healthcare services in terms of increasing population awareness of DM and its consequences and facilitating early DM diagnostics, particularly in middle-aged and elderly people. 

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