QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER PEOPLE WITH DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: Compare the quality of life of diabetic older patients against patients without diabetes, using the Control, Autonomy, Self-realization and Pleasure (CASP-16) questionnaire. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study, consisting of 179 participants over 60 years of age admitted to a public University Hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The researchers applied the CASP-16 scale, using a Google form, to these individuals, who signed the Informed Consent Form. The analyzes were carried out using Microsoft Excel and Jamovi software, with a significance level of 5%. The Certificate of Presentation of Ethical Appreciation of this study is (hidden information).  Results: 55 (30.7%) patients living with diabetes and 124 (69.3%) without the disease were evaluated. Diabetic patients obtained lower CASP-16 values (26.6 ± 10.13) compared to non-diabetic patients (31.4 ± 11.34), with p = 0.005. Within the diabetic group, those who use insulin had a higher CASP-16 (29.0 ± 9.75) than those who do not use insulin (22.6 ± 9.66), with p = 0.035. Conclusion: Elderly patients admitted to the University Hospital with diabetes have a lower quality of life compared to patients without the disease. New studies can confirm this finding and contribute to a better understanding of this population, aiming to improve diabetes treatment.