Hyperglycemia and frailty syndrome in older Ecuadorian adults

Abstract

Introduction: The Frailty Syndrome places the older adult in a context of risk of developing, aggravating or reproducing harmful effects for their health, by relating to a greater risk of evolving disability, and, consequently, death. Objective: To determine the relationship between hyperglycemia and Fragility Syndrome in older adults of the Geriatric Center of Guano canton, Chimborazo, Ecuador. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional, non-experimental design, and the population comprised 81 adults over the age of 65 who attended the aforementioned institution and met the inclusion criteria. Informed consent forms were signed by all participants. The data were collected using a questionnaire that incorporated the following variables: nutritional status, as measured by the Mini Nutritional Assessment; frailty, as determined by Fried's criteria; and glucose samples. Results: The study revealed that 61.73% of the population under study exhibited signs of frailty, with females predominating. Concurrently, 38.27% of the frail patients exhibited a risk of malnutrition. The absence of a correlation between hyperglycemia and the frailty syndrome led to the rejection of the initial hypothesis. Conclusions: Fragility Syndrome in the older adult is evidenced, even in a normal nutritional state. It can be determined through the study of glycemia values, dietary habits and lifestyle.