Hospitalization of elderly diabetic patients: characteristics, reasons for admission, and gender differences

Wei Lin, Chan Chen, Huaqin Guan, Xiaohong Du, Junjian Li

Understanding the differences in characteristics, gender, and common causes for admission in hospitalized elderly diabetic patients provides a theoretical basis for their successful management. This study explored the reasons and gender differences in hospitalizations of elderly patients with diabetes mellitus. Patients aged ≥60 years who had received a diagnosis of diabetes by the time of discharge, from 1 January 2011 to 1 January 2014, were retrospectively enrolled. Hospitalization data of the patients were collected, and reasons for hospitalization were analyzed based on chief complaints and principle diagnosis. The most frequent reasons stated for admission were related to the chronic complications of diabetes (42.1 %), seconded by hyperglycemia (26.4 %) and infection (15.7 %). Ketonuria, ketonemia, or diabetic ketoacidosis was more commonly seen in women than men, whereas diabetic nephropathy and neoplasms were more frequently found in men than women. Regarding infection as a cause of hospitalization, the 4 main types were respiratory tract (44.5 %), urinary tract (20.3 %), gastrointestinal (14.8 %), and skin and soft tissue (10.9 %). Respiratory tract infection was significantly more common in men (61.4 %) than women (31 %, P = 0.001), whereas urinary tract infection was more frequent in women (29.6 %) than men (8.8 %, P = 0.004). The most frequent reasons for hospital admission in elderly diabetic patients were chronic complications of diabetes, hyperglycemia, and infection. Men and women differed in reasons for hospital admission.