[Analysis of the causes of hospital death in aged diabetics].

OBJECTIVE

To understand the mortality rate and main death causes of aged diabetics in hospital.

METHODS

The clinical record of 183 aged diabetic patients, who were hospitalized and died between January, 1995 and December, 2002 in our hospital, were reviewed in comparison with 293 non-diabetic aged patients hospitalized in the same period.

RESULTS

The mortality rate of the aged diabetics was 13.11%, far beyond that of the non-diabetics. The main death causes of the diabetic patients were tumor (29.5%), cardiovascular diseases (CVD, 25.7%), pulmonary infections (14.2%), renal dysfunction (9.8%) and cerebral vascular diseases (5.5%). Tumor was the main cause of death in the diabetic patients 60 to 80 years of age, and in those 80-90 years old, CVD accounted for most of the deaths, whereas most patients over 90 years old died of pulmonary infections. When only one of the 3 risk factors, namely hypertension, dyslipidemia and smoking, was present, CVD accounted for 36.8% of all deaths; when all the 3 factors co-existed, CVD accounted for 50% of all deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

The mortality rate of aged diabetics is higher than that of the non-diabetics. Tumor and CVD are the main causes of death, but the constituent ratio changes with age. The ratio of CVD in all death causes depends on the number of risk factors present, including hypertension, dyslipidemia and smoking.