Abstract

Background: Multiple chronic conditions is a common problem in people with type 2 diabetes, affecting the ability to manage the disease and the effectiveness of treatment. Objectives: to determine  the  prevalence and some characteristics of chronic multiple diseases in elderly type 2 diabetes patients at Nghe An Endocrinology Hospital. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional description of 322 diabetic patients treated at Nghe An Endocrinology Hospital from October 2022 to April 2023. Study subjects were interviewed according to a uniform medical record, chronic diseases were diagnosed based on clinical and subclinical symptoms in the history and/or present. Results: Among 322 patients studied, the mean age was 70.6±6.1; women accounted for 64.9%. There were 0.9% of study subjects without chronic diseases associated with diabetes. The proportion of patients with 1 comorbidity accounted for 5.6%, the rate with 2 comorbidities accounted for 6.2%, and the proportion of patients with at least 3 comorbidities accounted for 87.3%. According to the age group 60-69 and the age group ≥ 70 years old as well as male and female, the proportion of patients with at least 3  co-morbidities  accounted  for  the  highest rate. Hypertension and dyslipidemia were  the most common comorbidities in the study subjects, accounting for 99.6%; followed  by osteoarthritis (87.9%), and chronic kidney disease (56.2%). Conclusion: The rate of chronic multiple diseases in elderly diabetic patients treated at Nghe An Endocrinology Hospital is very  high  in  all  age  groups  and genders. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, osteoarthritis, and chronic kidney disease were the most common comorbidities.