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World J Clin Cases. May 16, 2026; 14(14): 120574
Published online May 16, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i14.120574
Published online May 16, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i14.120574
Association of glycated hemoglobin levels with 3-year mortality in hospitalized older adults with diabetes: The role of frailty
Ioanna Papakitsou, Andria Papazachariou, Theodosios D Filippatos, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece
Ioanna Papakitsou, Andria Papazachariou, Theodosios D Filippatos, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion 71500, Greece
Author contributions: Papakitsou I contributed to study design, data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript drafting; Papazachariou A contributed to data collection, data interpretation, statistical analysis and manuscript revision; Filippatos TD conceived and supervised the study, contributed to study design, data interpretation, and critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; and all authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The original study protocol, including the present sub-analysis, was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University Hospital of Heraklion (approval code 716/16-01-2019).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or either legal guardians, provided written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: There is no additional data available.
Corresponding author: Theodosios D Filippatos, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Panepistimiou Ave, Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece.
Received: March 3, 2026
Revised: March 26, 2026
Accepted: April 15, 2026
Published online: May 16, 2026
Processing time: 56 Days and 5.6 Hours
Revised: March 26, 2026
Accepted: April 15, 2026
Published online: May 16, 2026
Processing time: 56 Days and 5.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In very old hospitalized adults with type 2 diabetes, glycemic control did not differ according to frailty or comorbidity burden, suggesting a lack of individualized treatment in routine practice. Lower glycated hemoglobin levels were independently associated with increased 3-year mortality, particularly in less frail individuals. These findings support a frailty-informed approach to glycemic targets in very old patients.