Quality of life and distress among diabetic patients-A Clinic based study

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic condition characterised by high blood glucose levels due to insulin secretion, action, or both. It offers substantial health challenges worldwide, affecting many groups and causing multiple complications (Antar et al., 2023). The term "diabetes" originates from the Greek word meaning "to siphon" or "to pass through," referring to the excessive urination characteristic of the condition. In Latin, "mellitus" means "sweet," highlighting the presence of high sugar levels in the urine of individuals with diabetes. It is one of the most common and rapidly developing diseases worldwide.(Hossain et al., 2024). Diabetes is characterized as Type 1, Type 2, specialized forms, and gestational diabetes. The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is caused by β-cell malfunction and insulin resistance. Chronic hyperglycemia can cause organ damage and raise the risk of vascular problems such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease(Lu X et al., 2023). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus has sharply increased over the last few decades, making it a primary global health concern. As per the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), over 537 million persons aged 20-79 had diabetes globally as of 2021, accounting for 10.5% of the adult population. It is predicted that this number would increase to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045.(Yameny et al., 2024: Sacks et al., 2023). Currently, the countries with the highest numbers of older adults diagnosed with diabetes mellitus are China (34.1 million, ~20% of all older adults), USA (11.5 million, ~21% of all older adults), India (11.0 million, ~17% of all older adults), Germany (4.9 million, ~27% of all older adults) and Brazil (4.3 million, ~22% of all older adults) (Bellary S et al., 2021).