ELDERY PEOPLE’S LIFE EXPECTANCY WITH DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE II COMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the complications of Diabetes Mellitus on the life expectancy of elderly people. Method: Cross-sectional study, carried out at the Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic of a Public Hospital in Recife-Pernambuco. Results: Considering the Herth life expectancy scale, the overall average was 39.154 points and the median, 40 points. The relationship between complications of Diabetes Mellitus and life expectancy in the elderly was not considered direct, since the high percentages of complications from diabetes do not reflect in the reduction of life expectancy in this population. Conclusion: This study serves as a guide for future research on the subject, in the sense of deepening understandings of life expectancy when related to religion and/or spirituality, as well as working with a broader and more diverse population with a focus on diabetes and its impacts on the individual, family and society.