Guidelines abstracted from the American Geriatrics Society Guidelines for Improving the Care of Older Adults with Diabetes Mellitus: 2013 update

Geriatric Emergency Medication Safety Recommendations (GEMS-Rx): Modified Delphi Development of a High-Risk Prescription List for Older Emergency Department Patients

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Half of emergency department (ED) patients aged 65 years and older are discharged with new prescriptions. Potentially inappropriate prescriptions contribute to adverse drug events. Our objective was to develop an evidence- and consensus-based list of high-risk prescriptions to avoid among older ED patients.

METHODS

We performed a modified, 3-round Delphi process that included 10 ED physician experts in geriatrics or quality measurement and 1 pharmacist. Consensus members reviewed all 35 medication categories from the 2019 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria and ranked each on a 5-point Likert scale (5=highest) for overall priority for avoidance (Round 1), risk of short-term adverse events and avoidability (Round 2), and reasonable medical indications for high-risk medication use (Round 3).

RESULTS

For each round, questionnaire response rates were 91%, 82%, and 64%, respectively. After Round 1, benzodiazepines (mean, 4.60 [SD, 0.70]), skeletal muscle relaxants (4.60 [0.70]), barbiturates (4.30 [1.06]), first-generation antipsychotics (4.20 [0.63]) and first-generation antihistamines (3.70 [1.49]) were prioritized for avoidance. In Rounds 2 and 3, hypnotic "Z" drugs (4.29 [1.11]), metoclopramide (3.89 [0.93]), and sulfonylureas (4.14 [1.07]) were prioritized for avoidability, despite lower concern for short-term adverse events. All 8 medication classes were included in the final list. Reasonable indications for prescribing high-risk medications included seizure disorders, benzodiazepine/ethanol withdrawal, end of life, severe generalized anxiety, allergic reactions, gastroparesis, and prescription refill.

CONCLUSION

We present the first expert consensus-based list of high-risk prescriptions for older ED patients (GEMS-Rx) to improve safety among older ED patients.

Rational Pharmacotherapy in Type 2 Diabetes: Danish Data From 2002 to 2020 on Mortality, Diabetes- Related Outcomes, Adverse Events, and Medication Expenses

OBJECTIVE

Developments in pharmacotherapy and management of type 2 diabetes may have shifted the balance of treatment benefits versus harms and costs over the past decades. This study aimed to describe the trends in this balance.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We followed the Danish population with type 2 diabetes between 2002 and 2020, analyzing their medication use in relation to treatment benefits (such as mortality and diabetes-related outcomes), adverse events, and medication costs. Using multivariate analyses, we adjusted for potential confounders, including age, sex, and socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

The study included 461,805 individuals. From 2002 to 2020, the median age increased from 66 to 68 years, and the mean number of comorbidities increased from 5.2 to 8.8. The overall incidence of cardiovascular, renal, and other important adverse clinical outcomes decreased. Similarly, the rate of some adverse events, such as gastric bleeding, hypoglycemia, and falls declined, whereas the incidence of electrolyte imbalances and ketoacidosis increased. The average per-patient cost was reduced by 8%, but total medication expenses increased by 148% due to an expanding population size, lowered costs of most cardiovascular medications, and increasing costs for glucose-lowering drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

Advancements in type 2 diabetes management have led to reduced risk of both diabetes-related outcomes and treatment harms, while maintaining relatively stable per-patient medication expenses. Although these trends are multifactorial, they suggest more rational pharmacotherapy. Still, increased risk of certain adverse events, along with increasing costs for glucose-lowering medications, underscores the need for ongoing vigilance and risk-benefit analysis.

Decline in use of high-risk agents for tight glucose control among older adults with diabetes in New York City: 2017-2022

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to examine the prevalence of inappropriate tight glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions in New York City, and to identify factors associated with this practice.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the INSIGHT Clinical Research Network. The study population included 11,728 and 15,196 older adults in New York City (age ≥ 75 years) with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and at least one other chronic medical condition, in 2017 and 2022, respectively. The main outcome of interest was inappropriate tight glycemic control, defined as HbA1c <7.0% (<53 mmol/mol) with prescription of at least one high-risk agent (insulin or insulin secretagogue).

RESULTS

The proportion of older adults with inappropriate tight glycemic control decreased by nearly 19% over a five-year period (19.4% in 2017 to 15.8% in 2022). There was a significant decrease in insulin (27.8% in 2017; 24.3% in 2022) and sulfonylurea (29.4% in 2017; 21.7% in 2022) medication prescription, and increase in use of GLP-1 agonists (1.8% in 2017; 11.4% in 2022) and SGLT-2 inhibitors (5.8% in 2017; 25.1% in 2022), among the total population. Factors associated with inappropriate tight glycemic control in 2022 included history of heart failure (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.38), chronic kidney disease ([aOR] 1.93), colorectal cancer ([aOR] 1.38), acute myocardial infarction ([aOR] 1.28), "other" ([aOR] 0.72) or "unknown" ([aOR] 0.72) race, and a point increase in BMI ([aOR] 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

We found an encouraging trend toward less use of high-risk medication strategies for older adults with type 2 diabetes and multiple chronic conditions. However, one in six patients in 2022 still had inappropriate tight glycemic control, indicating a need for continued efforts to optimize diabetes management in this population.

Nutritional Status, Dietary Intake, and Nutrition-Related Interventions Among Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Call for More Evidence Toward Clinical Guidelines

There is an emerging population of older adults (≥65 years) living with type 1 diabetes. Optimizing health through nutrition during this life stage is challenged by multiple and ongoing changes in diabetes management, comorbidities, and lifestyle factors. There is a need to understand nutritional status, dietary intake, and nutrition-related interventions that may maximize well-being throughout the life span in type 1 diabetes, in addition to nutrition recommendations from clinical guidelines and consensus reports. Three reviewers used Cochrane guidelines to screen original research (January 1993-2023) and guidelines (2012-2023) in two databases (MEDLINE and CENTRAL) to characterize nutrition evidence in this population. We found limited original research explicitly focused on nutrition and diet in adults ≥65 years of age with type 1 diabetes (six experimental studies, five observational studies) and meta-analyses/reviews (one scoping review), since in the majority of analyses individuals ≥65 years of age were combined with those age ≥18 years, with diverse diabetes durations, and also individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were combined. Further, existing clinical guidelines (n = 10) lacked specificity and evidence to guide clinical practice and self-management behaviors in this population. From a scientific perspective, little is known about nutrition and diet among older adults with type 1 diabetes, including baseline nutrition status, dietary intake and eating behaviors, and the impact of nutrition interventions on key clinical and patient-oriented outcomes. This likely reflects the population's recent emergence and unique considerations. Addressing these gaps is foundational to developing evidence-based nutrition practices and guidelines for older adults living with type 1 diabetes.

HbA1c variability associated with dementia risk in people with type 2 diabetes

INTRODUCTION

Although poor glycemic control is associated with dementia, it is unknown if variability in glycemic control, even in those with optimal glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, increases dementia risk.

METHODS

Among 171,964 people with type 2 diabetes, we evaluated the hazard of dementia association with long-term HbA1c variability using five operationalizations, including standard deviation (SD), adjusting for demographics and comorbidities.

RESULTS

The mean baseline age was 61 years (48% women). Greater HbA1c SD was associated with greater dementia hazard (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.15 [95% confidence interval: 1.12, 1.17]). In stratified analyses, higher HbA1c SD quintiles were associated with greater dementia hazard among those with a mean HbA1c < 6% (P = 0.0004) or 6% to 8% (P < 0.0001) but not among those with mean HbA1c ≥ 8% (P = 0.42).

DISCUSSION

Greater HbA1c variability is associated with greater dementia risk, even among those with HbA1c concentrations at ideal clinical targets. These findings add to the importance and clinical impact of recommendations to minimize glycemic variability.

HIGHLIGHTS

We observed a cohort of 171,964 people with type 2 diabetes (mean age 61 years). This cohort was based in Northern California between 1996 and 2018. We examined the association between glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) variability and dementia risk. Greater HbA1c variability was associated with greater dementia hazard. This was most evident among those with normal-low mean HbA1c concentrations.

Impact of comprehensive medication reviews on potentially inappropriate medication discontinuation in Medicare beneficiaries

BACKGROUND

The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) is associated with increased risk of hospitalizations and emergency room visits and varies by racial and ethnic subgroups. Medicare's nationwide medication therapy management (MTM) program requires that Part D plans offer an annual comprehensive medication review (CMR) to all beneficiaries who qualify, and provides a platform to reduce PIM use. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of CMR on PIM discontinuation in Medicare beneficiaries and whether this differed by race or ethnicity.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of community-dwelling Medicare Part D beneficiaries ≥66 years of age who were eligible for MTM from 2013 to 2019 based on 5% Medicare fee-for-service claims data linked to the 100% MTM data file. Among those using a PIM, MTM-eligible CMR recipients were matched to non-recipients via sequential stratification. The probability of PIM discontinuation was estimated using regression models that pooled yearly subcohorts accounting for within-beneficiary correlations. The most common PIMs that were discontinued after CMR were reported.

RESULTS

We matched 24,368 CMR recipients to 24,368 CMR non-recipients during the observation period. Median age was 74-75, 35% were males, most were White beneficiaries (86%-87%), and the median number of PIMs was 1. In adjusted analyses, CMR receipt was positively associated with PIM discontinuation (adjusted relative risk [aRR]: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.20-1.32). There was no evidence of differential impact of CMR by race or ethnicity. The PIMs most commonly discontinued after CMR were glimepiride, zolpidem, digoxin, amitriptyline, and nitrofurantoin.

CONCLUSIONS

Among Medicare beneficiaries who are using a PIM, CMR receipt was associated with PIM discontinuation, suggesting that greater CMR use could facilitate PIM reduction for all racial and ethnic groups.

Prevalence of tight glycemic control based on frailty status and associated factors in community-dwelling older adults

BACKGROUND

Tight control of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in frail older adults has shown to be associated with adverse outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of tight glycemic control based on underlying frailty status and its association with functional and cognitive measures in community-dwelling older adults.

METHODOLOGY

Ancillary study of the Singapore Population Health Studies on older adults aged ≥65 years with T2DM. Tight glycemic control cut-offs were based on the 2019 Endocrine Society guideline using HbA1c target range based on a patient's overall health status measured by the FRAIL scale. Data on basic demographics, frailty, cognitive, and functional statuses were collected. Multivariable regression was used to assess potential factors associated with tight glycemic control.

RESULTS

Of 172 community-dwelling older adults with diabetes mellitus and HbA1c done, frail (65%) and pre-frail (64.4%) participants were more likely to have tight glycemic control than robust participants (31.6%, P < 0.001). In multi-variate analysis, frailty (OR 6.43, 95% CI 1.08-38.1, P = 0.041), better cognition (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.32, P = 0.028), and multi-morbidity (OR 7.36, 95% CI 1.07-50.4, P = 0.042) were found to be significantly associated with increased odds of tight glycemic control.

CONCLUSION

Tight glycemic control was highly prevalent in frail and pre-frail older adults, especially in those with multi-morbidity and better cognition. Future prospective longitudinal studies are required to evaluate effectiveness of frailty screening in making treatment decisions and long-term outcomes. Key messages What is already known on this topic:  There is growing recognition that glycemic targets should be adjusted based on health or frailty status. However, there is no consensus on how health status or frailty should be defined when determining glycemic control targets. What this study adds:  Our study found that tight glycemic control was highly prevalent in frail and pre-frail older adults. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing for tight glycemic control based on frailty status and further work is needed to aid implementation of screening and intervention policies to avoid the attendant harms of tight glycemic control.

Diabetes mellitus in older persons with neurocognitive disorder: overtreatment prevalence and associated structural brain MRI findings

BACKGROUND

Tight diabetes control is often applied in older persons with neurocognitive disorder resulting in increased hypoglycemic episodes but little is known about the pattern of brain injury in these overtreated patients. This study aims to: (a) quantify the prevalence of diabetes overtreatment in cognitively impaired older adults in a clinical population followed in an academic memory clinic (b) identify risk factors contributing to overtreatment; and (c) explore the association between diabetes overtreatment and specific brain region volume changes.

METHODS

Retrospective study of older patients with type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment who were diagnosed in a memory clinic from 2013 to 2020. Patients were classified into vulnerable and dependent according to their health profile. Overtreatment was defined when glycated hemoglobin was under 7% for vulnerable and 7.6% for dependent patients. Characteristics associated to overtreatment were examined in multivariable analysis. Grey matter volume in defined brain regions was measured from MRI using voxel-based morphometry and compared in patients over- vs. adequately treated.

RESULTS

Among 161 patients included (median age 76.8 years, range 60.8-93.3 years, 32.9% women), 29.8% were considered as adequately treated, 54.0% as overtreated, and 16.2% as undertreated. In multivariable analyses, no association was observed between diabetes overtreatment and age or the severity of cognitive impairment. Among patients with neuroimaging data (N = 71), associations between overtreatment and grey matter loss were observed in several brain regions. Specifically, significant reductions in grey matter were found in the caudate (adj β coeff: -0.217, 95%CI: [-0.416 to -0.018], p = .033), the precentral gyri (adj βcoeff:-0.277, 95%CI: [-0.482 to -0.073], p = .009), the superior frontal gyri (adj βcoeff: -0.244, 95%CI: [-0.458 to -0.030], p = .026), the calcarine cortex (adj βcoeff:-0.193, 95%CI: [-0.386 to -0.001], p = .049), the superior occipital gyri (adj βcoeff: -0.291, 95%CI: [-0.521 to -0.061], p = .014) and the inferior occipital gyri (adj βcoeff: -0.236, 95%CI: [-0.456 to - 0.015], p = .036).

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of older patients with diabetes and neurocognitive disorder were subjected to excessively intensive treatment. The association identified with volume loss in several specific brain regions highlights the need to further investigate the potential cerebral damages associated with overtreatment and related hypoglycemia in larger sample.

Deprescribing in older adults with polypharmacy

Polypharmacy is common in older adults and is associated with adverse drug events, cognitive and functional impairment, increased healthcare costs, and increased risk of frailty, falls, hospitalizations, and mortality. Many barriers exist to deprescribing, but increased efforts have been made to develop and implement deprescribing interventions that overcome them. This narrative review describes intervention components and summarizes findings from published randomized controlled trials that have tested deprescribing interventions in older adults with polypharmacy, as well as reports on ongoing trials, guidelines, and resources that can be used to facilitate deprescribing. Most interventions were medication reviews in primary care settings, and many contained components such as shared decision making and/or a focus on patient care priorities, training for healthcare professionals, patient facing education materials, and involvement of family members, representing great heterogeneity in interventions addressing polypharmacy in older adults. Just over half of study interventions were found to perform better than usual care in at least one of their primary outcomes, and most study interventions were assessed over 12 months or less.

A National Survey of Physicians' Views on the Importance and Implementation of Deintensifying Diabetes Medications

BACKGROUND

Guidelines recommend deintensifying hypoglycemia-causing medications for older adults with diabetes whose hemoglobin A1c is below their individualized target, but this rarely occurs in practice.

OBJECTIVE

To understand physicians' decision-making around deintensifying diabetes treatment.

DESIGN

National physician survey.

PARTICIPANTS

US physicians in general medicine, geriatrics, or endocrinology providing outpatient diabetes care.

MAIN MEASURES

Physicians rated the importance of deintensifying diabetes medications for older adults with type 2 diabetes, and of switching medication classes, on 5-point Likert scales. They reported the frequency of these actions for their patients, and listed important barriers and facilitators. We evaluated the independent association between physicians' professional and practice characteristics and the importance of deintensifying and switching diabetes medications using multivariable ordered logistic regression models.

KEY RESULTS

There were 445 eligible respondents (response rate 37.5%). The majority of physicians viewed deintensifying (80%) and switching (92%) diabetes medications as important or very important to the care of older adults. Despite this, one-third of physicians reported deintensifying diabetes medications rarely or never. While most physicians recognized multiple reasons to deintensify, two-thirds of physicians reported barriers of short-term hyperglycemia and patient reluctance to change medications or allow higher glucose levels. In multivariable models, geriatricians rated deintensification as more important compared to other specialties (p=0.027), and endocrinologists rated switching as more important compared to other specialties (p<0.006). Physicians with fewer years in practice rated higher importance of deintensification (p<0.001) and switching (p=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

While most US physicians viewed deintensifying and switching diabetes medications as important for the care of older adults, they deintensified infrequently. Physicians had ambivalence about the relative benefits and harms of deintensification and viewed it as a potential source of conflict with their patients. These factors likely contribute to clinical inertia, and studies focused on improving shared decision-making around deintensifying diabetes medications are needed.

Clinician and Family Caregiver Perspectives on Deprescribing Chronic Disease Medications in Older Nursing Home Residents Near the End of Life

INTRODUCTION

Nursing home (NH) residents with limited life expectancy (LLE) who are intensely treated for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, or diabetes may benefit from deprescribing.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to describe NH clinician and family caregiver perspectives on key influences on deprescribing decisions for chronic disease medications in NH residents near the end of life.

METHODS

We recruited family caregivers of veterans who recently died in a Veterans Affairs (VA) NH, known as community living centers (CLCs), and CLC healthcare clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, registered nurses). Respondents completed semi-structured interviews about their experiences with deprescribing statin, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic medications for residents near end of life. We conducted thematic analysis of interview transcripts to identify key themes regarding influences on deprescribing decisions.

RESULTS

Thirteen family caregivers and 13 clinicians completed interviews. Key themes included (1) clinicians and caregivers both prefer to minimize drug burden; (2) clinical factors strongly influence deprescribing of chronic disease medications, with differences in how clinicians and caregivers weigh specific factors; (3) caregivers trust and rely on clinicians to make deprescribing decisions; (4) clinicians perceive caregiver involvement and buy-in as essential to deprescribing decisions, which requires time and effort to obtain; and (5) clinicians perceive conflicting care from other clinicians as a barrier to deprescribing.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest a need for efforts to encourage communication with and education for family caregivers of residents with LLE about deprescribing, and to foster better collaboration among clinicians in CLC and non-CLC settings.

Advancing type 2 diabetes therapy with iGlarLixi in older people: Pooled analysis of four randomized controlled trials

AIM

To assess the efficacy and safety of iGlarLixi in older people (≥65 years) with type 2 diabetes (T2D) advancing or switching from oral agents, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), or basal insulin.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The data of participants aged <65 years and ≥65 years from four LixiLan trials (LixiLan-O, LixiLan-G, LixiLan-L, SoliMix) were evaluated over 26 or 30 weeks.

RESULTS

Participants aged <65/≥65 years (n = 1039/n = 497) had a mean baseline body mass index of 31.4 and 30.7 kg/m2 and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentration of 66 mmol/mol (8.2%) and 65 mmol/mol (8.1%), respectively. Least squares mean HbA1c change from baseline to end of treatment (EOT) was -14.32 mmol/mol (-1.31%) (95% confidence interval [CI] -14.97, -13.77 [-1.37%, -1.26%]) for those aged <65 years and -13.66 mmol/mol (-1.25%) (95% CI -14.54, -12.79 [-1.33%, -1.17%]) for those aged ≥65 years. At EOT, achievement of HbA1c targets was similar between the group aged <65 years and the group aged ≥65 years: <53 mmol/mol (<7%) (59.0% and 56.5%, respectively), <59 mmol/mol (<7.5%) (75.5% and 73.0%, respectively) and <64 mmol/mol (<8%) (83.8% and 84.1%, respectively). The incidence and event rate of American Diabetes Association Level 1 hypoglycaemia during the studies were also comparable between the two groups: 26.7% and 28.2% and 1.7 and 2.1 events per patient-year for the group aged <65 years and the group aged ≥65 years, respectively. A clinically relevant reduction in HbA1c (>1% from baseline for HbA1c ≥64 mmol/mol [≥8%] or ≥0.5% from baseline for HbA1c <64 mmol/mol [<8%]) without hypoglycaemia was attained by 50.0% and 47.6% of participants aged <65 years and ≥65 years, respectively. Adverse events were similar between the two age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

iGlarLixi is a simple, well-tolerated, once-daily alternative for treatment advancement in older people with T2D that provides significant improvements in glycaemic control without increasing hypoglycaemia risk, thus reducing the treatment burden.

13. Older Adults: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) "Standards of Care in Diabetes" includes the ADA's current clinical practice recommendations and is intended to provide the components of diabetes care, general treatment goals and guidelines, and tools to evaluate quality of care. Members of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, an interprofessional expert committee, are responsible for updating the Standards of Care annually, or more frequently as warranted. For a detailed description of ADA standards, statements, and reports, as well as the evidence-grading system for ADA's clinical practice recommendations and a full list of Professional Practice Committee members, please refer to Introduction and Methodology. Readers who wish to comment on the Standards of Care are invited to do so at professional.diabetes.org/SOC.

Age disparities in glucose-lowering treatment for Danish people with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study between 2019 and 2020

BACKGROUND

The pharmacotherapeutic guidelines for type 2 diabetes have changed considerably during the past decades. SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists have emerged as first-line agents by preventing cardiovascular events within a few years of treatment. In contrast, sulphonylureas and insulin have been deprioritised due to less beneficial effects and the risk of hypoglycaemia-particularly in older people who are frail. We hypothesised that medications with a high risk of hypoglycaemia were used more often in older people compared with younger people.

METHODS

In a nationwide cohort of people with type 2 diabetes in Denmark from 2019 to 2020, we described the use of specific glucose-lowering medications in relation to age and glycated haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) by descriptive statistics and regression models adjusted for sex, socioeconomic factors, renal function, and several comorbidities.

FINDINGS

Among 290 890 people with type 2 diabetes, glucose-lowering medication usage peaked at age 70 years. Increasing age was associated with relatively less use of metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and SGLT2 inhibitors and more use of basal insulin, DDP-4 inhibitors, and sulphonylureas. When comparing 80-year-olds with 60-year-olds at similar HbA1c levels of 6·5% (48 mmol/mol), 80-year-olds used 8% (95% CI 7-10%) fewer glucose-lowering medications, were 55% less likely to receive GLP-1 receptor agonists or SGLT2 inhibitors (relative ratio 0·45, 95% CI 0·42-0·48), and 65% more likely to receive sulphonylureas (1·65, 1·54-1·76). Among 23 032 individuals aged 80 years or older with HbA1c levels of less than 6·5% (<48 mmol/mol), 2291 (10%) used sulphonylureas or insulin.

INTERPRETATION

In Danish people with type 2 diabetes, the likelihood of using glucose-lowering medications with a high risk of hypoglycaemia (eg, sulphonylureas and basal insulin) increased with age, whereas the likelihood of using GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors decreased. Some people aged 80 years or older with an HbA1c level of less than 6·5% (48 mmol/mol) were potentially overtreated with sulphonylureas or insulin. These findings emphasise the importance of frequently re-evaluating glucose-lowering treatments.

FUNDING

None.

TRANSLATION

For the Danish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Reducing hypoglycemia from overtreatment of type 2 diabetes in older adults: The HypoPrevent study

BACKGROUND

Hypoglycemia from overtreatment is a serious but underrecognized complication among older adults with type 2 diabetes. However, diabetes treatment is seldom deintensified. We assessed the effectiveness of a Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tool and shared decision-making (SDM) in decreasing the number of patients at risk for hypoglycemia and reducing the impact of non-severe hypoglycemic events.

METHODS

HypoPrevent was a pre-post, single arm study at a five-site primary care practice. We identified at-risk patients (≥65 years-old, with type 2 diabetes, treated with insulin or sulfonylureas, and HbA1c  < 7.0%). During three clinic visits over 6 months, clinicians used the CDS tool and SDM to assess hypoglycemic risk, set individualized HbA1c goals, and adjust use of hypoglycemic agents. We assessed the number of patients setting individualized HbA1c goals or modifying medication use, changes in the population at risk for hypoglycemia, and changes in impact of non-severe hypoglycemic events using a validated patient-reported outcome tool (TRIM-HYPO).

RESULTS

We enrolled 94 patients (mean age-74; mean HbA1c (±SD)-6.36% ± 0.43), of whom 94% set an individualized HbA1c goal at either the baseline or first follow-up visit. Ninety patients completed the study. Insulin or sulfonylurea use was decreased or eliminated in 20%. An HbA1c level before and after goal setting was obtained in 53% (N = 50). Among these patients, the mean HbA1c increased 0.53% (p < 0.0001) and the number of patients at-risk decreased by 46% (p < 0.0001). Statistically significant reductions in the impact of hypoglycemia during daily activities occurred in both the total score and each functional domain of TRIM-HYPO.

CONCLUSIONS

In a population of older patients at risk for hypoglycemia, the use of a CDS tool and SDM reduced the population at risk and decreased the use of insulin and sulfonylureas. Using a patient-reported outcome tool, we demonstrated significant reductions in the impact of hypoglycemia on daily life.

Methodological Considerations for Describing Medication Changes in Relation to Clinical Events and Death: An Applied Example in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Certain clinical events reduce life expectancy and necessitate a reassessment of patient treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To describe medication changes in relation to a cancer diagnosis and the end of life and to highlight challenges and limitations with such descriptions.

METHODS

From a cohort with all Danish patients with type 2 diabetes, we matched patients with incident cancer during 2000-2021 (n = 41,745) with patients without cancer (n = 166,994) using propensity scores. We described their medication usage from cancer diagnosis until death.

RESULTS

The 1- and 5-year mortality were 51% and 86%, respectively, in the cancer group, and 13% and 59% in the non-cancer group. In relation to cancer diagnosis and death, the use of symptomatic medications (e.g., opioids, benzodiazepines) increased (10-60 incident medications per 100 patient-months), and the use of preventive medications (e.g., antihypertensives, statins) decreased (5-30% fewer users). The changes in relation to the diagnosis were driven by patients with short observed lengths of survival (< 2 years). In contrast, changes occurring within a year before death were less dependent on survival strata, and > 60% used preventive medications in their last months.

CONCLUSIONS

Medication changes in relation to a cancer diagnosis were frequent and correlated to the length of survival. The results showcase the challenges and limited clinical utility of anchoring analyses on events or death. While the former diluted the results by averaging changes across patients with vastly different clinical courses, the latter leveraged information unavailable to the treating clinicians. While medication changes were common near death, preventive medications were often used until death.

Tackling potentially inappropriate prescriptions in older adults: development of deprescribing criteria by consensus from experts in Colombia, Argentina, and Spain

BACKGROUND

Potentially inappropriate medication use is prevalent among older adults in primary care, leading to increased morbidity, adverse drug reactions, hospitalizations, and mortality. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool for identifying PIMs in older adults within the primary care setting. The tool is composed of a list of criteria and was created based on consensus among experts from three Spanish-speaking countries, including two from Latin America.

METHODS

A literature review was conducted to identify existing tools, and prescription patterns were evaluated in a cohort of 36,111 older adults. An electronic Delphi method, consisting of two rounds, was used to reach a formal expert consensus. The panel included 18 experts from Spain, Colombia, and Argentina. The content validity index, validity of each content item, and Kappa Fleiss statistical measure were used to establish reliability.

RESULTS

Round one did not yield a consensus, but a definitive consensus was reached in round two. The resulting tool consisted of a list of 5 general recommendations per disease, along with 33 criteria related to potential problems, recommendations, and alternative therapeutic options. The overall content validity of the tool was 0.87, with a Kappa value of 0.69 (95% CI 0.64-0.73; Substantial).

CONCLUSIONS

The developed criteria provide a novel list that allows for a comprehensive approach to pharmacotherapy in older adults, intending to reduce inappropriate medication use, ineffective treatments, prophylactic therapies, and treatments with an unfavorable risk-benefit ratio for the given condition. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the impact of these criteria on health outcomes.

Overtreatment and associated risk factors among multimorbid older patients with diabetes

BACKGROUND

In multimorbid older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the intensity of glucose-lowering medication (GLM) should be focused on attaining a suitable level of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ) while avoiding side effects. We aimed at identifying patients with overtreatment of T2DM as well as associated risk factors.

METHODS

In a secondary analysis of a multicenter study of multimorbid older patients, we evaluated HbA1c levels among patients with T2DM. Patients were aged ≥70 years, with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diagnoses) and polypharmacy (≥5 chronic medications), enrolled in four university medical centers across Europe (Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, and Switzerland). We defined overtreatment as HbA1c  < 7.5% with ≥1 GLM other than metformin, as suggested by Choosing Wisely and used prevalence ratios (PRs) to evaluate risk factors of overtreatment in age- and sex-adjusted analyses.

RESULTS

Among the 564 patients with T2DM (median age 78 years, 39% women), mean ± standard deviation HbA1c was 7.2 ± 1.2%. Metformin (prevalence 51%) was the most frequently prescribed GLM and 199 (35%) patients were overtreated. The presence of severe renal impairment (PR 1.36, 1.21-1.53) and outpatient physician (other than general practitioner [GP], i.e. specialist) or emergency department visits (PR 1.22, 1.03-1.46 for 1-2 visits, and PR 1.35, 1.19-1.54 for ≥3 visits versus no visits) were associated with overtreatment. These factors remained associated with overtreatment in multivariable analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

In this multicountry study of multimorbid older patients with T2DM, more than one third were overtreated, highlighting the high prevalence of this problem. Careful balancing of benefits and risks in the choice of GLM may improve patient care, especially in the context of comorbidities such as severe renal impairment, and frequent non-GP healthcare contacts.

Geriatric Syndromes in Older Adults with Diabetes

Over one-quarter of adults ≥65 years old have diabetes in the United States. Guidelines recommend individualization of glycemic targets in older adults with diabetes as well as implementing treatment strategies that minimize risk for hypoglycemia. Patient-centered management decisions should be informed by comorbidities, the individual's capacity for self-care, and the presence of key geriatric syndromes that may impact self-management and patient safety. Key geriatric syndromes include cognitive impairment, depression, functional impairments (eg, vision, hearing, and mobility challenges), falls and fractures, polypharmacy, and urinary incontinence. Screening for geriatric syndromes in older adults is recommended to inform treatment strategies and optimize outcomes.

Glycemic Control Over Multiple Decades and Dementia Risk in People With Type 2 Diabetes

Importance

The levels of glycemic control associated with the lowest risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes are unknown. This knowledge is critical to inform patient-centered glycemic target setting.

Objective

To examine the associations between cumulative exposure to various ranges of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations with dementia risk across sex and racial and ethnic groups and the association of current therapeutic glycemic targets with dementia risk.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included members of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health care system with type 2 diabetes who were aged 50 years or older during the study period from January 1, 1996, to September 30, 2015. Individuals with fewer than 2 HbA1c measurements during the study period, prevalent dementia at baseline, or less than 3 years of follow-up were excluded. Data were analyzed from February 2020 to January 2023.

Exposures

Time-updated cumulative exposure to HbA1c thresholds. At each HbA1c measurement, participants were categorized based on the percentage of their HbA1c measurements that fell into the following categories: less than 6%, 6% to less than 7%, 7% to less than 8%, 8% to less than 9%, 9% to less than 10%, and 10% or more of total hemoglobin (to convert percentage of total hemoglobin to proportion of total hemoglobin, multiply by 0.01).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Dementia diagnosis was identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes from inpatient and outpatient encounters. Cox proportional hazards regression models estimated the association of time-varying cumulative glycemic exposure with dementia, adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, baseline health conditions, and number of HbA1c measurements.

Results

A total of 253 211 participants were included. The mean (SD) age of participants was 61.5 (9.4) years, and 53.1% were men. The mean (SD) duration of follow-up was 5.9 (4.5) years. Participants with more than 50% of HbA1c measurements at 9% to less than 10% or 10% or more had greater risk of dementia compared with those who had 50% or less of measurements in those categories (HbA1c 9% to <10%: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.31 [95% CI, 1.15-1.51]; HbA1c≥10%: aHR, 1.74 [95% CI, 1.62-1.86]). By contrast, participants with more than 50% of HbA1c concentrations less than 6%, 6% to less than 7%, or 7% to less than 8% had lower risk of dementia (HbA1c<6%: aHR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.88-0.97]; HbA1c 6% to <7%: aHR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.77-0.81]; HbA1c 7% to <8%: aHR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89-0.97]).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study dementia risk was greatest among adults with cumulative HbA1c concentrations of 9% or more. These results support currently recommended relaxed glycemic targets for older people with type 2 diabetes.

Patterns of diabetes testing for older adults without diabetes in Ontario's nursing homes: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

Asymptomatic diabetes testing may be of limited value for older nursing home residents, but most diabetes guidelines lack upper-age cutoffs for screening cessation. We evaluated patterns of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and serum blood glucose (SBG) testing among older residents without diabetes in Ontario, Canada.

METHODS

This population-based retrospective cohort study used provincial health administrative data from ICES to identify older nursing home residents in Ontario without diabetes between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. We examined HbA1c and glucose testing rates overall, by age, sex, and near end-of-life. The number of tests needed to identify one case of diabetes (using HbA1c thresholds of 6.5% and 8.0%) were also calculated.

RESULTS

Among 102,923 older nursing home residents (70.3% women; average age 85.6 ± SD 7.7 years), 46.1% of residents received ≥1 HbA1c test over an average follow-up period of 2.15 (± SD 1.49) years, and 18.2% of these tested residents received ≥4 HbA1c tests. The crude HbA1c testing rate was 52.6 tests/100 person-years (95% CI 52.3-52.9). Testing rates among residents aged ≥80 years was 50.7 HbA1c tests/100 person-years (95% CI 50.4-51.0), and 47.8 tests/100 person-years (95% CI 46.5-49.0) among residents near end-of-life. The number of tests to identify a case of diabetes (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) was 44, while the number of tests to identify a case of actionable diabetes (HbA1c ≥ 8%) was 310. Less than 1% of residents with an HbA1c test met criteria for actionable diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing home residents without diabetes receive frequent diabetes testing, with high testing rates even in residents over 80 years old and residents near end-of-life. The high number of tests needed to identify a case of actionable diabetes highlights the urgent need to re-evaluate diabetes testing practices in nursing homes.

A Qualitative Study of Perspectives of Older Adults on Deintensifying Diabetes Medications

BACKGROUND

While many older adults with type 2 diabetes have tight glycemic control beyond guideline-recommended targets, deintensifying (stopping or dose-reducing) diabetes medications rarely occurs.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the perspectives of older adults with type 2 diabetes around deintensifying diabetes medications.

DESIGN

This qualitative study used individual semi-structured interviews, which included three clinical scenarios where deintensification may be indicated.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-four adults aged ≥65 years with medication-treated type 2 diabetes and hemoglobin A1c <7.5% were included (to thematic saturation) using a maximal variation sampling strategy for diabetes treatment and physician specialty.

APPROACH

Interviews were independently coded by two investigators and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. We identified major themes and subthemes and coded responses to the clinical scenarios as positive (in favor of deintensification), negative, or ambiguous.

KEY RESULTS

Participants' mean age was 74 years, half were women, and 58% used a sulfonylurea or insulin. The first of four major themes was fear of losing control of diabetes, which participants weighed against the benefits of taking less medication (Theme 2). Few participants viewed glycemic control below target as a reason for deintensification and a majority would restart the medication if their home glucose increased. Some participants were anchored to their current diabetes treatment (Theme 3) driven by unrealistic views of medication benefits. A trusting patient-provider relationship (Theme 4) was a positive influence. In clinical scenarios, 8%, 4%, and 75% of participants viewed deintensification positively in the setting of poor health, limited life expectancy, and high hypoglycemia risk, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimizing deintensification requires patient education that describes both individualized glycemic targets and how they will change over the lifespan. Deintensification is an opportunity for shared decision-making, but providers must understand patients' beliefs about their medications and address misconceptions. Hypoglycemia prevention may be a helpful framing for discussing deintensification.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Other Wearable Devices to Assess Hypoglycemia among Older Adult Outpatients with Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND

Hypoglycemia (HG) causes symptoms that can be fatal, and confers risk of dementia. Wearable devices can improve measurement and feedback to patients and clinicians about HG events and risk.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study is to determine whether vulnerable older adults could use wearables, and explore HG frequency over 2 weeks.

METHODS

First, 10 participants with diabetes mellitus piloted a continuous glucometer, physical activity monitor, electronic medication bottles, and smartphones facilitating prompts about medications, behaviors, and symptoms. They reviewed graphs of glucose values, and were asked about the monitoring experience. Next, a larger sample (N = 70) wore glucometers and activity monitors, and used the smartphone and bottles, for 2 weeks. Participants provided feedback about the devices. Descriptive statistics summarized demographics, baseline experiences, behaviors, and HG.

RESULTS

In the initial pilot, 10 patients aged 50 to 85 participated. Problems addressed included failure of the glucometer adhesive. Patients sought understanding of graphs, often requiring some assistance with interpretation. Among 70 patients in subsequent testing, 67% were African-American, 59% were women. Nearly one-fourth (23%) indicated that they never check their blood sugars. Previous HG was reported by 67%. In 2 weeks of monitoring, 73% had HG (glucose ≤70 mg/dL), and 42% had serious, clinically significant HG (glucose under 54 mg/dL). Eight patients with HG also had HG by home-based blood glucometry. Nearly a third of daytime prompts were unanswered. In 24% of participants, continuous glucometers became detached.

CONCLUSION

Continuous glucometry occurred for 2 weeks in an older vulnerable population, but devices posed wearability challenges. Most patients experienced HG, often serious in magnitude. This suggests important opportunities to improve wearability and decrease HG frequency among this population.

13. Older Adults: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2023

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) "Standards of Care in Diabetes" includes the ADA's current clinical practice recommendations and is intended to provide the components of diabetes care, general treatment goals and guidelines, and tools to evaluate quality of care. Members of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, a multidisciplinary expert committee, are responsible for updating the Standards of Care annually, or more frequently as warranted. For a detailed description of ADA standards, statements, and reports, as well as the evidence-grading system for ADA's clinical practice recommendations and a full list of Professional Practice Committee members, please refer to Introduction and Methodology. Readers who wish to comment on the Standards of Care are invited to do so at professional.diabetes.org/SOC.

The association of glycemic control and fall risk in diabetic elderly: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong

Background

Many foreign studies investigated glycemic control and fall risk. However, there was insufficient study on this topic in Hong Kong. This study aims to find out the association of glycemic control and fall risk in the diabetic elderly in a general outpatient clinic in the North District of Hong Kong. Their frequency of falls and other associated risk factors of fall were also studied.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on 442 diabetic patients aged 65 years-old or above with regular follow-up in a general outpatient clinic. Main outcome measure was the number of falls in the past one year from the interview date. Recurrent falls was defined as two or more falls in the past one year from the interview date. Subjects were asked about experience of hypoglycemic symptoms. HbA1c level, chronic illness, retinopathy etc. were obtained through computerized medical record review. Chi square test and logistic regression were used to assess the association between outcomes and the explanatory variables.

Results

In the past one year, 23.3% participants experienced at least one fall and 8.6% had recurrent falls. Hypoglycemic symptoms, and lower visual acuity < 0.6 were significantly associated with fall (OR 2.42, p = 0.007 and OR 1.75, p = 0.038 respectively). Age 75–79 years-old had a higher likelihood of fall than the 65–69 age group (OR 2.23, p = 0.044). Patients with HbA1c 7.0–7.4% had a lower risk of recurrent falls when compared to those with intensive control (OR 0.32, p = 0.044). Other risk factors that increased risk of recurrent falls were hypoglycemic symptoms (OR 6.64, p < 0.001) and history of cerebral vascular accident (OR 4.24, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

Hypoglycemic symptoms had a very strong association with falls. Less stringent HbA1c control reduced the risk of recurrent falls. Healthcare professionals need to take a more proactive approach in enquiring about hypoglycemia. There should be individualized diabetic treatment target for the diabetic elderly.

Social Care Recommendations in National Diabetes Treatment Guidelines

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

An expanding body of research documents associations between socioeconomic circumstances and health outcomes, which has led health care institutions to invest in new activities to identify and address patients' social circumstances in the context of care delivery. Despite growing national investment in these "social care" initiatives, the extent to which social care activities are routinely incorporated into care for patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2D), specifically, is unknown. We conducted a scoping review of existing T2D treatment and management guidelines to explore whether and how these guidelines incorporate recommendations that reflect social care practice categories.

RECENT FINDINGS

We applied search terms to locate all T2D treatment and management guidelines for adults published in the US from 1977 to 2021. The search captured 158 national guidelines. We subsequently applied the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine framework to search each guideline for recommendations related to five social care activities: Awareness, Adjustment, Assistance, Advocacy, and Alignment. The majority of guidelines (122; 77%) did not recommend any social care activities. The remainder (36; 23%) referred to one or more social care activities. In the guidelines that referred to at least one type of social care activity, adjustments to medical treatment based on social risk were most common [34/36 (94%)]. Recommended adjustments included decreasing medication costs to accommodate financial strain, changing literacy level or language of handouts, and providing virtual visits to accommodate transportation insecurity. Ensuring that practice guidelines more consistently reflect social care best practices may improve outcomes for patients living with T2D.

Implications of the Metabolic Control of Diabetes in Patients with Frailty Syndrome

Introduction: Frailty syndrome occurs more frequently in patients with diabetes than in the general population. The reasons for this more frequent occurrence and the interdependence of the two conditions are not well understood. To date, there is no fully effective method for the diagnosis, prevention, and monitoring of frailty syndrome. This study aimed to assess the degree of metabolic control of diabetes in patients with frailty syndrome and to determine the impact of frailty on the course of diabetes using a retrospective analysis. Materials and Methods: A total of 103 individuals aged 60+ with diabetes were studied. The study population included 65 women (63.1%) and 38 men (36.9%). The mean age was 72.96 years (SD 7.55). The study was conducted in the practice of a general practitioner in Wielkopolska in 2018−2019. The research instrument was the authors’ original medical history questionnaire. The questions of the questionnaire were related to age, education, and sociodemographic situation of the respondents, as well as their dietary habits, health status, and use of stimulants. Other instruments used were: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Lawton Scale (IADL—Instrumental Activities of Daily Living), Katz Scale (ADL—Activities of Daily Living), Geriatric Depression Rating Scale (GDS), and SHARE-FI scale (Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe). Anthropometric and biochemical tests were performed. Results: In the study, frailty syndrome was diagnosed using the SHARE-FI scale in 26 individuals (25%): 32 (31.1%) were pre-frailty and 45 (43.7%) represented a non-frailty group. Statistical analysis revealed that elevated HbA1c levels were associated with a statistically significant risk of developing frailty syndrome (p = 0.048). In addition, the co-occurrence of diabetes and frailty syndrome was found to be a risk factor for loss of functional capacity or limitation in older adults (p = 0.00) and was associated with the risk of developing depression (p < 0.001) and cognitive impairment (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Concerning metabolic control of diabetes, higher HbA1c levels in the elderly are a predictive factor for the development of frailty syndrome. No statistical significance was found for the other parameters of metabolic control in diabetes. People with frailty syndrome scored significantly higher on the Geriatric Depression Rating Scale and lower on the MMSE cognitive rating scale than the comparison group. This suggests that frailty is a predictive factor for depression and cognitive impairment. Patients with frailty and diabetes have significantly lower scores on the Basic Activities of Daily Living Rating Scale and the Complex Activities of Daily Living Rating Scale, which are associated with loss or limitation of functioning. Frailty syndrome is a predictive factor for loss of functional capacity in the elderly.

Effect of Deintensifying Diabetes Medications on Negative Events in Older Veteran Nursing Home Residents

OBJECTIVE

Guidelines advocate against tight glycemic control in older nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia (AD) or limited life expectancy (LLE). We evaluated the effect of deintensifying diabetes medications with regard to all-cause emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and death in NH residents with LLE/AD and tight glycemic control.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted a national retrospective cohort study of 2,082 newly admitted nonhospice veteran NH residents with LLE/AD potentially overtreated for diabetes (HbA1c ≤7.5% and one or more diabetes medications) in fiscal years 2009-2015. Diabetes treatment deintensification (dose decrease or discontinuation of a noninsulin agent or stopping insulin sustained ≥7 days) was identified within 30 days after HbA1c measurement. To adjust for confounding, we used entropy weights to balance covariates between NH residents who deintensified versus continued medications. We used the Aalen-Johansen estimator to calculate the 60-day cumulative incidence and risk ratios (RRs) for ED or hospital visits and deaths.

RESULTS

Diabetes medications were deintensified for 27% of residents. In the subsequent 60 days, 28.5% of all residents were transferred to the ED or acute hospital setting for any cause and 3.9% died. After entropy weighting, deintensifying was not associated with 60-day all-cause ED visits or hospitalizations (RR 0.99 [95% CI 0.84, 1.18]) or 60-day mortality (1.52 [0.89, 2.81]).

CONCLUSIONS

Among NH residents with LLE/AD who may be inappropriately overtreated with tight glycemic control, deintensification of diabetes medications was not associated with increased risk of 60-day all-cause ED visits, hospitalization, or death.

Glycemic treatment deintensification practices in nursing home residents with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Older nursing home (NH) residents with glycemic overtreatment are at significant risk of hypoglycemia and other harms and may benefit from deintensification. However, little is known about deintensification practices in this setting.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2019 among Veterans Affairs (VA) NH residents. Participants were VA NH residents age ≥65 with type 2 diabetes with a NH length of stay (LOS) ≥ 30 days and an HbA1c result during their NH stay. We defined overtreatment as HbA1c <6.5 with any insulin use, and potential overtreatment as HbA1c <7.5 with any insulin use or HbA1c <6.5 on any glucose-lowering medication (GLM) other than metformin alone. Our primary outcome was continued glycemic overtreatment without deintensification 14 days after HbA1c.

RESULTS

Of the 7422 included residents, 17% of residents met criteria for overtreatment and an additional 23% met criteria for potential overtreatment. Among residents overtreated and potentially overtreated at baseline, 27% and 19%, respectively had medication regimens deintensified (73% and 81%, respectively, continued to be overtreated). Long-acting insulin use and hyperglycemia ≥300 mg/dL before index HbA1c were associated with increased odds of continued overtreatment (odds ratio [OR] 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.65 and OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10-1.66, respectively). Severe functional impairment (MDS-ADL score ≥ 19) was associated with decreased odds of continued overtreatment (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.95). Hypoglycemia was not associated with decreased odds of overtreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Overtreatment of diabetes in NH residents is common and a minority of residents have their medication regimens appropriately deintensified. Deprescribing initiatives targeting residents at high risk of harms and with low likelihood of benefit such as those with history of hypoglycemia, or high levels of cognitive or functional impairment are most likely to identify NH residents most likely to benefit from deintensification.

Adherence to the American Diabetes Association's Glycemic Goals in the Treatment of Diabetes Among Older Americans, 2001-2018

OBJECTIVE

To assess trends in HbA1c and appropriateness of diabetes medication use by patient health status.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted cross-sectional analysis of 2001-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We included older adults age ≥65 years who had ever been told they had diabetes, had HbA1c >6.4%, or had fasting plasma glucose >125 mg/dL. Health status was categorized as good, intermediate, or poor. Being below goal was defined as taking medication despite having HbA1c ≥1% below the glycemic goals of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which varied by patient health status and time period. Drugs associated with hypoglycemia included sulfonylureas, insulin, and meglitinides.

RESULTS

We included 3,539 patients. Mean HbA1c increased over time and did not differ by health status. Medication use increased from 59% to 74% with metformin being the most common drug in patients with good or intermediate health and sulfonylureas and insulin most often prescribed to patients with poor health. Among patients taking medications, prevalence of patients below goal increased while prevalence of those above goal decreased from 2001 to 2018. One-half of patients with poor health and taking medications had below-goal HbA1c; two-thirds received drugs associated with hypoglycemia. Patients with poor health who were below goal had 4.9 (95% CI 2.3-10.4) times the adjusted odds of receiving drugs associated with hypoglycemia than healthy patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In accordance with ADA's newer Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, HbA1c goals were relaxed but did not differ by health status. Below-goal HbA1c was common among patients with poor health; many were prescribed medications associated with a higher risk of hypoglycemia.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with declines in physical function among men with and without HIV

OBJECTIVE

To determine the longitudinal relationships between abnormal glucose metabolism and physical function in persons with HIV (PWH) and without HIV.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study of men with or at risk for HIV in four United States cities between 2006 and 2018.

METHODS

Men with or at risk for HIV from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) had semi-annual assessments of glycemic status, grip strength, and gait speed. We used linear mixed models with random intercept to assess associations between glycemic status and physical function. Glycemic status was categorized as normal, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), controlled diabetes mellitus [hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) <7.5%], or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1C ≥ 7.5%).

RESULTS

Of 2240 men, 52% were PWH. Diabetes mellitus was similar among PWH (7.7%) vs. persons without HIV (6.7%, P = 0.36) at baseline. PWH had slower gait speed (1.17 vs. 1.20 m/s, P < 0.01) but similar grip strength (40.1 vs. 39.8 kg, P = 0.76) compared with persons without HIV at baseline. In multivariate models, gait speed decline was greater with controlled diabetes mellitus [-0.018 m/s (-0.032 to -0.005), P = 0.01] and grip strength decline was greater with controlled [-0.560 kg (-1.096 to -0.024), P = 0.04] and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus [-0.937 kg (-1.684 to -0.190), P = 0.01), regardless of HIV serostatus compared with normoglycemic individuals.

DISCUSSION

Abnormal glucose metabolism was associated with declines in gait speed and grip strength regardless of HIV serostatus. These data suggest that improvement in glucose control should be investigated as an intervenable target to prevent progression of physical function limitations among PWH.

Factors affecting cognitive dysfunction screening for Latinx adults with type 2 diabetes

Aim

To examine influences on screening of Latinx adults with type 2 diabetes for cognitive problems by identifying patient-, clinician-, and clinic-level factors.

Methods

This was a mixed methods study consisting of semi-structured interviews with Latinx adults with type 2 diabetes (n = 30; mean age = 68; 57% Mexican American) and surveys and interviews with health care providers (n = 15) in Central Texas. Data were examined with thematic analysis (interviews) and descriptive statistics (surveys and inventories).

Results

For the interviewed patients, screening was important, but inability to work related to a possible diagnosis of dementia was a concern. Both providers and patients agreed that other health issues (e.g., hyperglycemia) took precedence over cognitive screening. Providers (96.7%) were expected to screen patients but lacked clinic support and time; they relied on patients for initial prompts. Only one clinic required staff education on cognitive screening, with an emphasis on potential cultural differences in test results and adequate resources related to dementia for Latinx adults.

Conclusions

Clinics serving Latinx adults have a responsibility to deliver appropriate care. Leadership should consider innovative practices such as the creation, with patients, of educational materials for screening-a need highlighted by most participants.

Life expectancy estimates based on comorbidities and frailty to inform preventive care

BACKGROUND

Long-term prognostication is important to inform preventive care in older adults. Existing prediction indices incorporate age and comorbidities. Frailty is another important factor in prognostication. In this project, we aimed at developing life expectancy estimates that incorporate both comorbidities and frailty.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, we used data from a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries with and without history of cancer from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry areas. We included adults aged 66-95 years who were continuously enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare for ≥1 year from 1998 to 2014. Participants were followed for survival until 12/31/2015, death, or disenrollment. Comorbidity (none, low/medium, high) and frailty categories (low, high) were defined using established methods for claims. We estimated 5- and 10-year survival probabilities and median life expectancies by age, sex, comorbidities, and frailty.

RESULTS

The study included 479,646 individuals (4,128,316 person-years), of whom most were women (58.7%). Frailty scores varied widely among participants in the same comorbidity category. In Cox models, both comorbidities and frailty were independent predictors of mortality. Individuals with high comorbidities (HR, 3.24; 95% CI, 3.20-3.28) and low/medium comorbidities (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.34-1.39) had higher risks of death than those with no comorbidities. Compared to low frailty, high frailty was associated with higher risk of death (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.52-1.58). Frailty affected life expectancy estimates in ways relevant to preventive care (i.e., distinguishing <10-year versus >10-year life expectancy) in multiple subgroups.

CONCLUSION

Incorporating both comorbidities and frailty may be important in estimating long-term life expectancies of older adults. Our life expectancy tables can aid clinicians' prognostication and inform simulation models and population health management.

High Concurrent Use of Sulfonylureas and Antimicrobials With Drug Interactions Causing Hypoglycemia

OBJECTIVES

Sulfonylureas, the second most common oral diabetes treatment, have interactions with antimicrobials that substantially increase the risk of hypoglycemia. The objectives of this study are to quantify the concurrent use of sulfonylureas and interacting antimicrobial in U.S. ambulatory care and to examine whether interacting antimicrobials are used for an appropriate indication.

METHODS

We analyzed the 2006-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, annual probability samples of visits to U.S. office-based physicians. We determined nationally representative estimates of visits for adults with concurrent use of sulfonylureas and 7 antimicrobials with established interactions. We examined whether visit diagnoses included appropriate indications for antibiotics according to national guidelines.

RESULTS

There were 2.5 million visits per year (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2-2.9) in which sulfonylureas were used with systemic antimicrobials, of which 1 million (95% CI, 0.8-1.2) or 38.0% (95% CI, 32.3%-44.0%) were interacting antimicrobials. Sulfonylurea users had similar odds of interacting antimicrobial use as patients using diabetes medications without antimicrobial interactions (adjusted odds ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.82-1.40). The most common interacting antimicrobials used with sulfonylureas were fluoroquinolones, accounting for 59.9% (95% CI, 50.7%-68.2%) of antimicrobials, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, accounting for 21.1% (95% CI, 14.8%-29.2%). There was no appropriate antibiotic indication in 69.7% (95% CI, 55.2%-81.1) of visits with interacting antibiotic use.

CONCLUSIONS

Sulfonylureas and antimicrobials with potentially hazardous interactions are frequently used together. To reduce resultant hypoglycemic events, there is a need for interventions to increase physician awareness and promote antibiotic stewardship.

Using an Electronic Health Record and Deficit Accumulation to Pragmatically Identify Candidates for Optimal Prescribing in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE

Despite guidelines recommending less stringent glycemic goals for older adults with type 2 diabetes, overtreatment is prevalent. Pragmatic approaches for prioritizing patients for optimal prescribing are lacking. We describe glycemic control and medication patterns for older adults with type 2 diabetes in a contemporary cohort, exploring variability by frailty status.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional observational study based on electronic health record (EHR) data, within an accountable care organization (ACO) affiliated with an academic medical center/health system. Participants were ACO-enrolled adults with type 2 diabetes who were ≥65 years of age as of 1 November 2020. Frailty status was determined by an automated EHR-based frailty index (eFI). Diabetes management was described by the most recent A1C in the past 2 years and use of higher-risk medications (insulin and/or sulfonylurea).

RESULTS

Among 16,973 older adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age 75.2 years, 9,154 women [53.9%], 77.8% White), 9,134 (53.8%) and 6,218 (36.6%) were classified as pre-frail (0.10 < eFI ≤0.21) or frail (eFI >0.21), respectively. The median A1C level was 6.7% (50 mmol/mol) with an interquartile range of 6.2-7.5%, and 74.1 and 38.3% of patients had an A1C <7.5% (58 mmol/mol) and <6.5% (48 mmol/mol), respectively. Frailty status was not associated with level of glycemic control (P = 0.08). A majority of frail patients had an A1C <7.5% (58 mmol/mol) (n = 4,544, 73.1%), and among these patients, 1,755 (38.6%) were taking insulin and/or a sulfonylurea.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with insulin and/or a sulfonylurea to an A1C levels <7.5% is common in frail older adults. Tools such as the eFI may offer a scalable approach to targeting optimal prescribing interventions.

Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular risk: an update of the recommendations of the Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Working Group of the Spanish Society of Diabetes (SED, 2021)

This document is an update to the clinical practice recommendations for the management of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in diabetes mellitus. The consensus has been developed by a multidisciplinary team made up of members of the Cardiovascular Risk Group of the Spanish Diabetes Society (SED). The work is a necessary update as, since the last review three years ago, there have been many clinical trials that have studied the cardiovascular outcomes of numerous drugs in the diabetic population. We believe that this guideline update may be of interest to all clinicians treating patients with diabetes.

13. Older Adults: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) "Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes" includes the ADA's current clinical practice recommendations and is intended to provide the components of diabetes care, general treatment goals and guidelines, and tools to evaluate quality of care. Members of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, a multidisciplinary expert committee (https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-SPPC), are responsible for updating the Standards of Care annually, or more frequently as warranted. For a detailed description of ADA standards, statements, and reports, as well as the evidence-grading system for ADA's clinical practice recommendations, please refer to the Standards of Care Introduction (https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-SINT). Readers who wish to comment on the Standards of Care are invited to do so at professional.diabetes.org/SOC.

Management of Hyperglycemia in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

The increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes in the general population as well as enhanced life expectancy has resulted in a rapid rise in the prevalence of diabetes in the older population. Diabetes causes significant morbidity and impairs quality of life. Managing diabetes in older adults is a daunting task due to unique health and psychosocial challenges. Medical management is complicated by polypharmacy, cognitive impairment, urinary incontinence, injurious falls, and persistent pain. Health care providers now have several traditional and contemporary pharmacologic agents to manage diabetes. Avoidance of hypoglycemia is critical; however, evidence-based guidelines are lacking due to the paucity of clinical trials in older adults. For many in this population, maintaining independence is more important than adherence to published guidelines to prevent diabetes complications. The goal of diabetes care in older adults is to enhance the quality of life without subjecting these patients to intrusive and complicated interventions. Recent technological advancements such as continuous glucose monitoring systems can have crucial supplementary benefits in the geriatric population.

Hospital utilization for hypoglycemia among patients with type 2 diabetes using pooled data from six health systems

INTRODUCTION

Hypoglycemia is the most common serious adverse effect of diabetes treatment and a major cause of medication-related hospitalization. This study aimed to identify trends and predictors of hospital utilization for hypoglycemia among patients with type 2 diabetes using electronic health record data pooled from six academic health systems.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This retrospective open cohort study included 549 041 adults with type 2 diabetes receiving regular care from the included health systems between 2009 and 2019. The primary outcome was the yearly event rate for hypoglycemia hospital utilization: emergency department visits, observation visits, or inpatient admissions for hypoglycemia identified using a validated International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision (ICD-9) algorithm from 2009 to 2014. After the transition to ICD-10 in 2015, we used two ICD-10 code sets (limited and expanded) for hypoglycemia hospital utilization from prior studies. We identified independent predictors of hypoglycemia hospital utilization using multivariable logistic regression analysis with data from 2014.

RESULTS

Yearly rates of hypoglycemia hospital utilization decreased from 2.7 to 1.6 events per 1000 patients from 2009 to 2014 (p-trend=0.023). From 2016 to 2019, yearly event rates were stable ranging from 5.6 to 6.6, or 6.3 to 7.3, using the limited and expanded ICD-10 code sets, respectively. In 2014, the strongest independent risk factors for hypoglycemia hospital utilization were chronic kidney disease (OR 2.86, 95% CI 2.33 to 3.57), ages 18-39 years (OR 2.43 vs age 40-64 years, 95% CI 1.78 to 3.31), and insulin use (OR 2.13 vs no diabetes medications, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.73).

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of hypoglycemia hospital utilization decreased from 2009 to 2014 and varied considerably by clinical risk factors such that younger adults, insulin users, and those with chronic kidney disease were at especially high risk. There is a need to validate hypoglycemia ascertainment using ICD-10 codes, which detect a substantially higher number of events compared with ICD-9.

A Behavioral Economics-Electronic Health Record Module to Promote Appropriate Diabetes Management in Older Adults: Protocol for a Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

The integration of behavioral economics (BE) principles and electronic health records (EHRs) using clinical decision support (CDS) tools is a novel approach to improving health outcomes. Meanwhile, the American Geriatrics Society has created the Choosing Wisely (CW) initiative to promote less aggressive glycemic targets and reduction in pharmacologic therapy in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. To date, few studies have shown the effectiveness of combined BE and EHR approaches for managing chronic conditions, and none have addressed guideline-driven deprescribing specifically in type 2 diabetes. We previously conducted a pilot study aimed at promoting appropriate CW guideline adherence using BE nudges and EHRs embedded within CDS tools at 5 clinics within the New York University Langone Health (NYULH) system. The BE-EHR module intervention was tested for usability, adoption, and early effectiveness. Preliminary results suggested a modest improvement of 5.1% in CW compliance.

Objective

This paper presents the protocol for a study that will investigate the effectiveness of a BE-EHR module intervention that leverages BE nudges with EHR technology and CDS tools to reduce overtreatment of type 2 diabetes in adults aged 76 years and older, per the CW guideline.

Methods

A pragmatic, investigator-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the BE-EHR module. A total of 66 NYULH clinics will be randomized 1:1 to receive for 18 months either (1) a 6-component BE-EHR module intervention + standard care within the NYULH EHR, or (2) standard care only. The intervention will be administered to clinicians during any patient encounter (eg, in person, telemedicine, medication refill, etc). The primary outcome will be patient-level CW compliance. Secondary outcomes will measure the frequency of intervention component firings within the NYULH EHR, and provider utilization and interaction with the BE-EHR module components.

Results

Study recruitment commenced on December 7, 2020, with the activation of all 6 BE-EHR components in the NYULH EHR.

Conclusions

This study will test the effectiveness of a previously developed, iteratively refined, user-tested, and pilot-tested BE-EHR module aimed at providing appropriate diabetes care to elderly adults, compared to usual care via a cluster randomized controlled trial. This innovative research will be the first pragmatic randomized controlled trial to use BE principles embedded within the EHR and delivered using CDS tools to specifically promote CW guideline adherence in type 2 diabetes. The study will also collect valuable information on clinician workflow and interaction with the BE-EHR module, guiding future research in optimizing the timely delivery of BE nudges within CDS tools. This work will address the effectiveness of BE-inspired interventions in diabetes and chronic disease management.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04181307; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04181307

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/28723

Reexamining the Classification of Older Adults With Diabetes by Comorbidities and Exploring Relationships With Frailty, Disability, and 5-year Mortality

BACKGROUND

Limited research has been conducted to risk stratify older adults with diabetes. Our objective was to reexamine the 2005-2006 classification systems in participants who are now 5 years older.

METHODS

We examined a subsample of 884 community-residing older adults with the diagnosis of diabetes from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. The primary objective was to utilize a latent class analysis (LCA) to fit a model to 11 comorbidities, comparing the 2010-2011 LCA model to that of 2005-2006. The secondary objective was to evaluate the association of the identified classes with frailty, disability, and 5-year mortality.

RESULTS

Both 2005-2006 LCA and the 2010-2011 LCA model fit 3 similar comorbidity profiles: Class 1 with the lowest rates of nearly all comorbidities, Class 2 had highest rates of obesity, hypertension, arthritis, and incontinence, and Class 3 had the higher rates of myocardial infarctions, congestive heart failure, and stroke. When compared to the healthier Class 1 (class probability = 0.67), participants with a comorbidity profile with more prevalent cardiovascular conditions (Class 3; 0.09) were at higher risk of frailty and mortality, but not disability; whereas participants with a comorbidity profile with more prevalent geriatric syndrome conditions (Class 2; 0.24) were at higher risk of frailty and disability, but not mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

We reconfirmed 3 latent classes with distinct comorbidity profiles among older adults with diabetes. However, the complex relationships between comorbidity classes with frailty, disability, and mortality will likely require revision of the current rationale for stratified goal setting and treatment selection.

The Impact of Frailty on the Effectiveness and Safety of Intensive Glucose Control and Blood Pressure-Lowering Therapy for People With Type 2 Diabetes: Results From the ADVANCE Trial

OBJECTIVE

To develop a frailty index (FI) and explore the relationship of frailty to subsequent adverse outcomes on the effectiveness and safety of more intensive control of both blood glucose and blood pressure (BP), among participants with type 2 diabetes in the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the effectiveness and safety of intensive glucose control and BP intervention according to frailty (defined as FI >0.21) status. The primary outcomes were macro- and microvascular events. The secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, severe hypoglycemia, and discontinuation of BP treatment due to hypotension/dizziness.

RESULTS

There were 11,140 participants (mean age, 65.8 years; 42.5% women, 25.7% frail). Frailty was an independent predictor of all primary outcomes and secondary outcomes. The effect of intensive glucose treatment on primary outcomes showed some evidence of attenuation in the frail: hazard ratios for combined major macro- and microvascular events 1.03 (95% CI 0.90-1.19) in the frail versus 0.84 (95% CI 0.74-0.94) in the nonfrail (P = 0.02). A similar trend was observed with BP intervention. Severe hypoglycemia rates (per 1,000 person-years) were higher in the frail: 8.39 (6.15-10.63) vs. 4.80 (3.84-5.76) in nonfrail (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in discontinuation of BP treatment between frailty groups.

CONCLUSIONS

It was possible to retrospectively estimate frailty in a trial population, and this FI identified those at higher risk of poor outcomes. Participants with frailty had some attenuation of benefit from intensive glucose-lowering and BP-lowering treatments.

Home-Care Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Urinary Incontinence: An Interpretive Description Study

Introduction

A third of older adults with diabetes receiving home-care services have daily urinary incontinence. Despite this high prevalence of urinary incontinence, the condition is typically not recognized as a complication and thereby not detected or treated. Diabetes and urinary incontinence in older adults are associated with poorer functional status and lower quality of life. Home-care nurses have the potential to play an important role in supporting older adults in the management of these conditions. However, very little is known about home-care nurses’ care of this population.

Objective

The objective of this study was to explore how nurses care for older home-care clients with diabetes and incontinence.

Methods

This was an interpretive description study informed by a model of clinical complexity, and part of a convergent, mixed methods research study. Fifteen nurse participants were recruited from home-care programs in southern Ontario, Canada to participate in qualitative interviews. An interpretive description analytical process was used that involved constant comparative analysis and attention to commonalities and variance.

Results

The experiences of home-care nurses caring for this population is described in three themes and associated subthemes: (a) conducting a comprehensive nursing assessment with client and caregiver, (b) providing holistic treatment for multiple chronic conditions, and (c) collaborating with the interprofessional team. The provision of this care was hampered by a task-focused home-care system, limited opportunities to collaborate and communicate with other health-care providers, and the lack of health-care system integration between home care, primary care, and acute care.

Conclusion

The results suggest that nursing interventions for older adults with diabetes and incontinence should not only consider disease management of the individual conditions but pay attention to the broader social determinants of health in the context of multiple chronic conditions. Efforts to enhance health-care system integration would facilitate the provision of person-centred home care.