Older adults (age 65+) with T1D are an understudied population. Though many older adults may have long-standing diabetes and the prevalence of multimorbidity accumulates over the lifespan, the prevalence of diabetes-related complications and comorbid conditions in older adults with T1D have not been well-characterized, though these factors can affect quality of life. We analyzed electronic health record (EHR) data from older adults with T1D within a large public hospital system (n=560). We used ICD-10 diagnostic codes and calculated the proportion of the sample with different comorbidities and diabetes-related complications, as well as the average number of total complications and the Charlson Comorbidity Index Score (Table). The mean number of T1D-related complications was 3.93 with 29.6% (n=166) having 6+ concurrent T1D complications. The most common T1D complication was retinopathy or other ophthalmic complication with (72%; n=402). The median Charlson Comorbidity index score was 3. Nearly half of the sample (n=282; 50.4%) had cardiovascular disease and more than one third (n=197; 35%) had renal disease. These data underscore a high burden of diabetes complications and comorbidities among older adults with T1D. Understanding the medical complexity of this population can inform future research and intervention.
A.Kahkoska: None. J.M.Weinstein: Research Support; Dexcom, Inc. R.Muthukkumar: None. L.A.Young: Research Support; Novo Nordisk, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Jaeb Center for Health Research, Sanofi, Boehringer-Ingelheim.
National Institutes of Health (KL2TR002490, UL1TR002489)
