The effect of age, gender, level of adiposity and diabetes duration on glycated hemoglobin reduction after anti-diabetic therapy in type-2 diabetic patients

Background: It is established that glycemic control measures involving diet and oral medication reduce glycated hemoglobin concentration (HbA1c) in type-2 diabetic patients. Aim: We aimed to determine whether HbA1c reduction after diabetic treatment is affected by age, gender, level of adiposity and diabetes duration in type-2 diabetic patients. Methods: One hundred and four type-2 diabetic patients participated in a 20-week diabetic control therapy involving oral medication (metformin) and lifestyle intervention (diet). We compared the HbA1c reduction after treatment between the elderly and non-elderly; males and females; overweight/obese and non-overweight/obese; and long-standing and newly diagnosed patients. Results: After the treatment, participants had mean HbA1c reduction of 1.1 ± 1.31% and weight loss of 2.46 ± 1.79 kg. Forty-six (44.2%) of the patients had acceptable HbA1c level of <6.5%. Significantly greater HbA1c reduction was observed in non-elderly, non-overweight/obese and newly diagnosed patients compared to the elderly, overweight/obese and long-standing diabetic patients (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01 or p < 0.001), respectively. HbA1c reduction did not indicate significant sex differences. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that treatment criteria for type-2 diabetes should account for the age, level of adiposity and diabetes duration of the patient in order to make optimal therapeutic decisions for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in adults.