Association of Diabetes Mellitus with Functional Disability in Older Adults: A Review

Diabetes mellitus is a common and serious health issue in older people and there is a significant and troubling association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and functional impairment in the elderly. Diabetes is also often associated with a lower rate of health recovery and with a feeling of weakness. Individuals with DM are prone to functional disability due to many reasons such as decreased sensorimotor function, neuromuscular/ musculoskeletal deficits, foot and body pain and pharmacological and related complications. Physical activity is recommended by physicians and clinicians to type- II diabetic elderly patients, as it increases sensitivity to insulin. To implement preventive policies for reduction in functional disability in older diabetic people, the role of diabetes in the disability process should be investigated. DM is consistently associated with a greater prevalence of functional impairment as well as with a progression in disability states and may be considered as a brake on recovery phase. This association is partially explained by existing complications, associated conditions (obesity, hypertension and depression), treatment burden and other social characteristics (lower income and lower educational level). In this review, our aim is to describe the role of DM in the functional disability in older people and to identify possibilities of functional disability prevention in elderly people. Thus, DM may be considered as a frailty factor in geriatric population. However, the reasons and mechanisms of these deleterious effects of diabetes on functional inability need to be clarified.