Diabetes mellitus in geriatric females

A study was carried out on 36 geriatric diabetic females (above 60 years). Marked exhaustion and significant loss of weight were common presenting complaints (60%) besides usual symptomatology. Only 25% patients were asymptomatic for diabetes. Generalised itching (20%) and pruritus vulvae (33.3%) were other common presenting complaints. Neuropathy was found to be the commonest complication being present in 77.7% patients, followed by retinopathy (50%) and nephropathy (27.7%). Hypertension was found to be associated in 44% patients and evidence of ischaemic heart disease was found in 42%. Development of nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, and hypertension showed direct correlation with duration of illness ie, longer the history of diabetes higher was the incidence of complications.