Lifestyles according to disease duration in patients with diabetes and hypertension

Introduction

In patients with hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM), lifestyles should be optimal to avoid long-term complications. However, it is sometimes unclear whether the disease duration factor could contribute to their improvement.

Objective

1) To analyze the trend of lifestyles in patients with DM or HTN; 2) to determine the association of lifestyles according to the time since diagnosis in these patients.

Materials and methods

Analytical cross-sectional study based on Peru's Demographic and Family Health Survey between 2014 and 2023. Lifestyles were: smoking status, alcohol consumption, and fruit/vegetable consumption. The time since diagnosis variable was dichotomized (< 2 years versus ≥2 years).

Results

Lifestyle trends between the established years showed a fluctuating pattern, with a significant interruption in 2020, followed by a return to pre-2020 variations, except for a decrease in smokers in subjects with HTN. On the other hand, no significant association was found between any of the three lifestyles and the time since diagnosis of HTN or DM2.

Conclusion

The trends found in lifestyles have not resulted in a sustained decrease in bad habits or a constant improvement in healthy lifestyles, except for smokers in patients with HTN, but rather a general state without substantial changes has been maintained. In turn, the disease duration does not seem to be a determining factor for changes in the lifestyles of patients with DM or HTN.