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Epidemiology of Diabetes and Diabetes Complications in the Elderly: An Emerging Public Health Burden

  • Diabetes Epidemiology (SH Golden, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Diabetes in the elderly is a growing public health burden. Persons with diabetes are living longer and are vulnerable to the traditional microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes but also at increased risk for geriatric syndromes. Peripheral vascular disease, heart disease, and stroke all have a high prevalence among older adults with diabetes. Traditional microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy also frequently occur. Unique to this older population is the effect of diabetes on functional status. Older adults with diabetes are also more likely to experience geriatric syndromes such as falls, dementia, depression, and incontinence. Further studies are needed to better characterize those elderly individuals who may be at the highest risk of adverse complications from diabetes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIH/NIDDK (K23-DK093583 and T32 DK062707) and the Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center (P30-AG021334).

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Conflict of Interest

Mark Corriere declares that he has no conflict of interest. Nira Rooparinesingh declares that she has no conflict of interest. Rita Rastogi Kalyani declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument St, Suite 333, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Mark Corriere & Rita Rastogi Kalyani

  2. Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University/Sinai Hospital, 2401 W. Belvedere Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21215, USA

    Nira Rooparinesingh

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  1. Mark Corriere
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Correspondence to Rita Rastogi Kalyani.

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Corriere, M., Rooparinesingh, N. & Kalyani, R.R. Epidemiology of Diabetes and Diabetes Complications in the Elderly: An Emerging Public Health Burden. Curr Diab Rep 13, 805–813 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-013-0425-5

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