Risk factors for comorbid hypertension in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk factors for hypertension (HT) in elderly patients with diabetes, using retrospective data analysis.

METHODS

A total of 139 elderly patients with diabetes were recruited, including 61 in the HT group and 78 to the non-HT group. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and serum biochemical marker were compared between the two groups. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify independent risk factors for HT, and their predictive utility was later examined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Cardio-cerebrovascular events were recorded during a two-year follow-up period, along with scores from the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36).

RESULTS

Compared with the non-HT group, patients with HT were significantly older and had longer disease duration, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and a higher incidence of cardio-cerebrovascular events. Besides, patients with HT were more likely to smoke, consume excessive alcohol, exercise less, and had lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and SF-36 scores. According to binary logistic regression-based analysis, disease duration, alcohol consumption, exercise frequency, HDL-C, LDL-C, UA, and microalbuminuria were significant contributors to HT in elderly people suffering from diabetes. Individually, these factors yielded area under the curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.580 to 0.740, while their combined model achieved an AUC of 0.910.

CONCLUSIONS

Prolonged disease duration, heavy alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, decreased HDL-C, and elevated LDL-C, UA, and microalbuminuria are significant risk factors for HT in elderly patients with diabetes. A combined assessment of these variables provides strong predictive value for identifying HT risk.