Orthostatic Hypotension and associated factors in older adults Brazilian and French with diabetes

Abstract

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the major chronic complications of diabetes, including different clinical manifestations affecting the peripheral nervous system. The study aims to describe the characteristics of the older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Brazil and France who presented orthostatic hypotension and associated factors. This is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study, in which 248 Brazilian older adults with diabetes aged 65 or more and 987 older adults French with aged 75 or over, evaluated for the outcome of orthostatic hypotension, having the associated factors related to complications been analyzed. It was evident that ⅔ of the older adults Brazilian with diabetes 162 (69.8%) presented orthostatic hypotension on examination, while less than ⅓ of the French older adults with diabetes [301 (30.5%)] displayed this change on clinical examination, with statistically significant differences between the two populations for the variables: age, duration of diabetes, smoking, body mass index, degree of hypertension, diabetic neuropathy, amputations, obstructive limb arteriopathy, and use of antihypertensive drugs. The study reinforces the importance of tracking this important alteration of the physical examination, which may result in relevant chronic complication to the health of the older people with diabetes.