The results of research conducted at the University of Surrey’s Real-World Evidence Centre suggest that older people with poor blood glucose control are more likely to develop infections.
The research involved performing a retrospective analysis of infection rates in older people (65 years and older) with diabetes. The researchers found that pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and skin and soft tissue infections were all more common in people with poor blood glucose control, while those with moderate control did not appear to have an increased risk of infection.
The implication of this is that older people with diabetes who relax their blood glucose control may be increasing their risk of contracting these infections.
“This new finding should be taken into account by all clinicians when setting blood sugar targets in the elderly,” commented Lead Researcher Andrew McGovern, Clinical Researcher with the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. He added that “further research is needed to identify the best balance between the risks of too strict blood sugar control and increased infection risk.”
These findings were published online in The Lancet.
