Burden of type 2 diabetes among older people in Ireland: Findings from the irish longitudinal study of ageing (TILDA)

The rapid aging of populations worldwide necessitates better understanding of the increasing burden of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. However, little is known about diabetes in the Republic of Ireland. This study uses data from The Irish LongituDinal study of Ageing(TILDA), the first population-based, representative study of older people in Ireland, to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for type 2 diabetes among men and women aged 50 years and older.

Descriptive statistics and multivariate weighted logistic regression models identified gender differences in the associations between social, behavioral, medical and environmental factors and self-reported, doctor-diagnosed type 2 diabetes(yes/no). At baseline(10/2010-07/2011), 8.1% of Irish people aged 50 years and older reported having diabetes(10.1% men, 6.4% women). The age-adjusted odds ratio(OR) of having diabetes was 1.75(95% confidence interval(CI):1.47-2.08) times greater for men than women. Most known diabetes risk factors, such as physical inactivity and hypertension, were associated with an increased odds of having diabetes, regardless of gender.

However, several risk factors were gender-specific. For example, among men, cognitive impairment(MoCA score<26, OR=1.49, 95%CI:1.11-2.00), former smoking(OR=1.32, 95%CI:1.02-1.70), and increasing pulse-wave velocity(OR=1.16, 95%CI:1.07-1.26) were associated with increased odds of having diabetes. For women only, social isolation(OR=2.76, 95%CI:1.56-4.88) and increasing income(OR=0.88, 95%CI:0.79-0.97) were associated with having type 2 diabetes compared to reference categories.

Identification of factors associated with the excess burden of type 2 diabetes in older men and women is necessary to develop tailored prevention and treatment strategies to stem the increase of the disease and its complications in aging populations worldwide.