- Medha Munshi, MD
Each of us in every field of medicine is experiencing the effects of an aging population. The population of people over the age of 65 years in the United States is expected to greatly increase, reaching up to 70 million by the year 2030. The prevalence of diabetes in this older population is thought to be ∼20%, compared to ∼6% in younger populations. Older adults with diabetes constitute > 40% of all adults with type 2 diabetes.1,2
As we get better at treating chronic diseases in elderly patients, it becomes clear that treatment strategies need to be altered and tailored to the unique needs and challenges faced by these patients. Management of diabetes in the elderly requires additional considerations because of the need for patient self-management. The number of elderly patients with diabetes is projected to increase significantly in the near future, and thus the medical community providing diabetes care needs to be aware of the differences in appropriate treatment strategies for diabetes management in elderly patients versus younger adults.
In this From Research to Practice section, we have focused on unique aspects of the care of older adults with diabetes. In our first article (p. 221), Steven R. Gambert, MD, and Sally Pinkstaff, MD, PhD, describe the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and …
