Relationship Between Social Support and Acute Complications of Diabetes Type 2: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between social support and the frequency of patients with acute complications of type 2diabetes. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on type 2 diabetic patients who consulted a level III hospital, between 2014 and 2015; the perception of social support (ci 95%) was measured with the questionnaire for medical outcomes studies on social support (MOS) in patients with and without acute complications of diabetes. A logistic regression model was applied to identify predictive variables for acute complications. Results: 205 patients were selected, average age 66 years old, 51,2% female, 56,6% married, 50,7% with acute complications, the majority with social support (83,6%; ci 95%, 76,1-91,2%); the average global social support in patients without acute complications was 78,9 (76,8-88,1), with complications 70,8 (68,3-73,2) for a group difference of 8,2; (ci 95%, 4,9-11,4). The lack of social support (β:3,581), the glucometry interval range between 177-309 (β:2,930), being married (β:1,845) and insulin treatment (β:1,672) predicted acute diabetes complications. Conclusion: Patients with acute complications had lower social support scores, and the interaction between the lack of social support and sociodemographic variables predicted a risk of acute complications. Social support should be explored in diabetic patients to improve treatment strategies.