Health-related quality of life in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus according to age: based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

Purpose: Although the importance of life satisfaction in patients with chronic diseases has been emphasized, limited studies have been performed on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly patients with chronic diseases. This study examined the HRQoL among Korean patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older. Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2016. The analysis included data of 2,353 elderly patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older who were aware that they had type 2 diabetes. Each participant was categorized into one of three age groups (65–69 years, 70–74 years, and ≥ 75 years). The EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) scale was computed to estimate the HRQoL. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to compare the demographic characteristics, lifestyle characteristics, nutrient intake, and EQ-5D scores between the age groups. Results: The intake levels of most nutrients were similar in the three age groups, but the total energy intake levels were significantly lower, and the sodium intake levels were significantly higher in the older age groups (p < 0.001). In addition, all items of the EQ-5D index, except for anxiety/depression, tended to decrease with age. In particular, the oldest age group (≥ 75 years) showed significantly lower levels on most items and the EQ-5D index than those in the other age groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Elderly patients with type 2 diabetes may have low levels of life satisfaction, which worsens with increasing age. Therefore, it is important to develop and manage personalized guidelines and medical systems so that elderly patients have a higher quality of life for the remainder of their lives. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for the systematic management of diabetes in elderly Korean patients.