Aging and comorbidities influence the risk of hospitalization and mortality in diabetic patients experiencing severe hypoglycemia

Background and aims: To assess the risk of hospitalization and mortality within 1 year of severe hypoglycaemia and theirs clinical predictors. Methods and results: We retrospectively examined 399 admissions for severe hypoglycemia in adults with DM at the Emergency Department (ED) of the University Hospital of Novara (Italy) between 2012–2017, and we compared the clinical differences between older (aged ≥65 years) and younger individuals (aged 18–64 years). A logistic regression model was used to explore predictors of hospitalization following ED access and 1-year later, according to cardiovascular (CV) or not (no-CV) reasons; 1-year all-cause mortality was also detected. The study cohort comprised 302 patients (median [IQR] age 75 [17] years, 50.3% females, 93.4% white, HbA1c level 7.6% [1.0%]). Hospitalization following ED access occurred in 16.2% of patients and kidney failure (OR 0.50 [95% CI 1.29–5.03]) was the only predictor of no-CV specific hospitalization; 1-year hospitalization occurred in 24.5% of patients and obesity (OR 3.17 [95% CI 1.20–8.12]) and pre-existing heart disease (OR 3.20 [95% 1.20–9.39]) were associated with CV specific hospitalization; 1-year all-cause mortality occurred in 14.9% of patients and was associated with older age (OR 1.12 [95% CI 1.07–1.18]) and pre-existing heart disease (OR 2.63 [95% CI 1.19–6.14]) Conclusions: Severe hypoglycemia is associated with risk of hospitalization and mortality mainly in elderly patients and it may be predictive of future cardiovascular events in diabetic patients with pre-existing heart disease and obesity.