[Elevated glucose levels in the elderly: is there a need for intensive treatment?]

Diabetes mellitus is a frequently occurring disease which is often found in combination with other diseases in older people. An interval of more than ten years is often seen between the first signs of diabetes and the diagnosis. The causes and consequences of insufficient production of insulin and the available diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, with attention for hypoglycemia in older people, are discussed. In the early phase of diabetes glucose levels are only incidentally elevated and patients have no complaints. Elevated blood glucose values aggravate other diseases and decrease the effectivity of treatment for these diseases. Treatment can prevent or postpone secondary complications leading to improved quality of life. A plea is made for (regular) testing of blood glucose and adequate action when elevated values are found in older people.