Predictive factors of hospitalization in non institutionalized elderly diabetic patients. Data from the S.AGES cohort

Context. Type 2 diabetes is a common disease in elderly patients. Complications may result in hospitalizations. Objective. Our objective was to identify risk factors for hospitalization in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes in real life. Methods. The S.AGES diabetes sub-cohort is a multicenter prospective study where 213 GPs have included 983 over 65 years of age not institutionalized type 2 diabetic patients. The occurrence of at least one hospitalization in the first year of follow-up was reported. A mixed logistic regression model was used for the analysis. Results. Of the 983 patients included in the baseline, 862 were analysed and 167 (19.4%) were hospitalized at least once. Risk factors associated with hospitalization were loss of autonomy measured by the ADL Clscore score ADL (OR=2.10; 95CI=1.32-3.50; p=0.001), history of cancer (OR=2.17; 95CI=1.54-3.48; p=0.001), heart failure (OR=2.31; 95CI=1.443.69; p=0.005) and polymedication (more than 5 different drugs per day: OR=1.59; 95CI=1.05-2.43; p=0.03. Conclusion. Comorbidities, loss of autonomy and polymedication were identified as the main risk factors for hospitalizations in elderly patients. Risk factors observed in our study were more ageing or specific disease related and encourage the overall management of the elderly whether diabetic or not.