title: Temporal predictors of health-related quality of life in elderly people with diabetes: results of a German cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the study was to determine predictors that influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large cohort of elderly diabetes patients from primary care over a follow-up period of five years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the baseline measurement of the ESTHER cohort study (2000-2002), 1375 out of 9953 participants suffered from diabetes (13.8%). 1057 of these diabetes patients responded to the second-follow up (2005-2007). HRQOL at baseline and follow-up was measured using the SF-12; mental component scores (MCS) and physical component scores (PCS) were calculated; multiple linear regression models were used to determine predictors of HRQOL at follow-up. As possible predictors for HRQOL, the following baseline variables were examined: treatment with insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), number of diabetes related complications, number of comorbid diseases, Body-Mass-Index (BMI), depression and HRQOL. Regression analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic variables and smoking status. 1034 patients (97.8%) responded to the SF-12 both at baseline and after five years and were therefore included in the study. Regression analyses indicated that significant predictors of decreased MCS were a lower HRQOL, a higher number of diabetes related complications and a reported history of depression at baseline. Complications, BMI, smoking and HRQOL at baseline significantly predicted PCS at the five year follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings expand evidence from previous cross-sectional data indicating that in elderly diabetes patients, depression, diabetes related complications, smoking and BMI are temporally predictive for HRQOL.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Medical University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. imad.maatouk@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Imad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maatouk
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wesche
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raum
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rothenbacher
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stegmaier
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schellberg
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors