Monitoring diabetes care processes and counseling patients about them are linked with long-term survival in individuals with diabetes, according to a longitudinal mortality analysis involving nearly 1,900 patients. The benefit was seen even in those 75 years of age and older.

Investigators analyzed data from respondents to the Health and Retirement Study Diabetes Mailout Survey. They tested the relationship between reported measures and mortality, controlling for certain sociodemographic and medical characteristics.

Frequency of self-reported care processes was:

• 80.1%: glycosylated hemoglobin test.

• 75.9%: urine test.

• 67.5%: eye examination.

• 67.7%: aspirin counseling.

• 48.2%: diabetes education.

Better care led to a 24% lower risk of dying at 9-year follow up. Furthermore, longer survival was statistically significant only in those 75 years of age and older.

Citation: Han B, Blaum C, Ferris R, Min L, Lee p. Older adults reporting more diabetes mellitus care have greater 9-year survival. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015;26(12):2455-2462. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13839.