Study of Management of diabetics in Elderly Patients of Punjabi Population

40 males and 42 females elderly type-2 diabetic patients, aged between 60–75 years were studied. In elderly males, the clinical symptoms were confusion in 8(20%), failure to thrive in 7(17.5%), neuropathy in 9 (22.5%), coronary artery disease in 12(30%) and visual symptoms in 4(10%). In elderly females, the symptoms were confusion in 12(28.5%), failure to thrive in 9(21.4%), neuropathy in 8(19%), coronary artery disease in 10(23.8%) and visual symptoms in 3(7.1%). Peculiar clinical complications in elderly male patients included cognitive declination in 11(27.5%), physical disability in 16(40%), fracture in 9(22.5%) and geriatric syndrome in 4(10%). In elderly females, the complications included cognitive declination in 13(30.9%), physical disability in 12(28.5%), fracture in 14(33.3%) and geriatric syndrome 3(7.1%). We studied and treated the elderly patients with the drugs including insulin, sulfonylureas, biguanides, meglitinides, alpha-glucosides inhibitors and thiazolidones, keeping in view their pros and cons. This study of elderly diabetic patients in both sexes will be certainly useful to endocrinologist and physicians to segregate the patient with their respective symptoms or complications and to treat them efficiently with appropriate drugs because age related changes in body function and cognition demands special caution in the selection of hypoglycemic drugs in elderly. Targets of diabetic therapy in elderly has to be individualized, considering the age of patients, remaining life expectancy and severity of co-morbid conditions as diabetes is associated with substantial morbidity from macro and microvascular complications.