The Effect Of Depression And Life Quality Of Geriatric Diabetic Patients On Their Glycemic Control Levels

Objective: This study was aimed to determine the effect of quality of life and depression on the levels of glycemic control in geriatric diabetic patients. Methods: The sample of this analytical and descriptive study consisted of 138 geriatric diabetic patients over 65 years of age in 7 months. The sociodemographic form with 12 questions, Quality of Life Scale for Elderly People (WHOQOL-OLD) with 24 items and 4 subscales, Geriatric Depression Scale with 30 items, also patients' HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose values evaluated with ADA Glycemic Control Evaluation Form. Ethics committee and institution application permissions were obtained. Verbal and written consents of the participants were obtained. Results: 55.8% of the participants were between the ages of 65-69. The half of the patients used only oral antidiabetic drugs and 31.2% of them used insulin. 38.4% of the patients had definite depression. 53.6% of participants had poor HbA1c levels, 69.6% had high fasting blood glucose values and 52.2% had poor postprandial blood glucose levels. The average score for quality of life was 72.88 +/- 9.57, which indicates a moderate quality of life. As their quality of life increased, the mean depression score of the patients decreased. There was also a positive correlation between HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose values. Conclusion: As the patients' quality of life increased, their depression scores significantly decreased; however, their quality of life and prior depression didn't have an influence on the levels of glycemic control.