Insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk in older adult Nigerians with type 2 diabetes

Background: Insulin resistance (IR), which refers to decreased metabolic response to normal concentrations of insulin, has been associated with increasing age and is a trigger to the cascade of cardiometabolic abnormalities hence increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in elderly populations with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Strategies targeting IR may be key to mitigating excess CVD morbidities in elderly patients with T2D. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between IR and CVD and also to identify cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors as primary targets of CVD reduction in the older populations of Nigerians with T2D. Settings and Design: Lagos, Nigeria. Cross-sectional, analytical. Subjects and Methods: A total of 363 adult Nigerians with T2D aged between 40 and 100 years old were consecutively recruited for this study. T2D was defined according to the WHO criteria. Data were collected using a questionnaire and fasting blood samples were collected for analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS statistical package. Statistical significance was set at value of P < 0.05. Results: T2D patients in the age group of 60-80 years had significantly higher blood pressure than those in the younger age group, (P = 0.009). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin were the highest in the age group of 40-60 years, (P = 0.016). IR was associated with older age in the T2D (P = 0.026). IR showed a significant correlation with CMR factors. Multivariate regression showed FPG to be independently associated with IR (P = 0.003). Conclusion: IR correlated with CMR factors and was independently associated with FPG, re-emphasizing focus on short-term blood glucose control in elderly diabetic populations.