Concomitant conditions and associated diseases in diabetic patients

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder. It imposes a social and economic burden, with increased manifolds globally with high morbidity and mortality in patients of both developed and developing countries. It causes various types of complications (e.g., macro- and micro-vascular) if it remains uncontrolled. The purpose of the study was to determine factors (e.g.: age, gender, duration of diabetes, frequency of checking clinical parameters related to diabetes) and associated diseases or disease conditions (e.g.: diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) in DM patients visited for medical services at Chattogram Diabetic General Hospital, Chattogram, Bangladesh. This was a cross-sectional study, and a total of 400 patients’ data were considered for the present study. Data was collected by using a pretested questionnaire with the written consent of the participants. The data included general information (e.g.name, address, contact), demographic information (e.g. gender, education status of the patient, marital status), disease characteristics (e.g. frequency of checking clinical parameters such as HbA1c level, lipid profile), and self-management behaviors (e.g. physical exercises, oral drugs, outside food consumption). Results demonstrated that there was an association between age, education, duration of diabetes, frequency of checking blood glucose levels, fasting blood glucose levels, and diabetic-related complications. Diabetic patients who have suffered for more than 15 years [3.21, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.75 - 5.89] were more likely to develop diabetes-associated diseases. The patients whose ages were more than 60 years (95% CI: 1.63 – 57.92) were more prevalent in developing diabetes-related complications. Those patients who had no formal education were (3.85, 95% CI: 1.8 – 8.22) more prone to have diabetes-related complications. The patients who didn’t check their blood glucose levels regularly were more likely (21.5, 95% CI: 3.64 – 127.06) to have DM-related complications. It was also found the patients who didn’t have their blood glucose level under control were more likely to have (3.13, 95% CI: 1.62 – 6.05) times of having diabetes-related complications. This study reported that among DM patients’ multiple complications were predominantly seen in patients taking both insulin and oral drugs such as neuropathy, dental problems, nephropathy, foot problems, cardiovascular disease, skin problems, and other concomitant diseases or disease conditions (e.g. tuberculosis, streptococcal pneumonia, musculoskeletal disorder). The findings of the current study suggested that the regular monitoring and management of blood sugar levels, as well as close communication with healthcare providers, can help to minimize the risk of complications in these patients