Management of type 2 diabetes in geriatric patients

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) indicates age above 45 years as a major risk factor for diabetes and predicts that the number of persons with the disease, which currently stands at 190 million, will double by the year 2025. Several recent trials suggest that tighter glucose control reduces long-term complications in diabetic patients; however, outcomes of tight blood sugar control in the elderly are not known. Nevertheless, the principles of management of type 2 diabetes in the elderly are not different from those in middle-aged patients. There are several reasons to keep glucose control on target, also in the elderly; nonetheless, it should be considered that the risk of hypoglycemia is more deleterious in the elderly and should be avoided. The old and more recent oral glucose-lowering agents, along with the newer types of insulin, will be discussed in this review.