Frailty, Medication Adherence, and Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Metforminand Non-Metformin-Exposed Groups

Objective: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a non-communicable disease that contributes to frailty. Metformin is a widely used medication for managing blood sugar, and it may help reduce frailty. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between frailty, medication adherence, and glycemic control in metformin-exposed (ME) and non-metformin-exposed (NME) patients with T2D. Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess frailty and medication adherence in patients with T2D divided into ME and NME groups using Fried’s Frailty Assessment and the medication adherence questionnaire, respectively. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient was used to associate frailty and medication adherence. Results: A total of 126 patients with T2D were enrolled. More of the ME group (16 persons [19.0%]) were nonfrail than in the NME group (2 [4.8%]). More of the ME group (18 [21.4%]) had high adherence compared to the NME group (8 [19.0%]). More of the patients in the ME group (11 [13.1%]) had HbA1c < 6.5% than in the NME group (4 [9.5%]). There was no significant correlation between medication adherence and frailty, neither in overall patients (p = 0.313) nor between the groups of ME (p = 0.547) and NME (p = 0.442). A significant correlation between frailty scores and glycemic control was observed in the overall patients (p = 0.045), but significance was not found within the ME (p = 0.236) and NME groups 0.062. Conclusions: There is correlation between frailty and glycemic control among patients with T2D. Metformin treatment was linked to a lower frailty risk, underscoring the need for personalized diabetes management.