Association between family functionality and hypoglycemia in people with type 2 diabetes in primary care

Abstract

Hypoglycemia is an acute complication of Diabetes Mellitus (DM); it is characterized by blood glucose levels <70 mg/dL.1 The clinical manifestations that it causes can lead to permanent neurological damage and even death.2 The risk factors for development hypoglycemia in diabetic patients are: meal delay or omission, excessive alcohol drinking, intense exercise without prior food intake or accidental drug dosage errors.3 Given its chronicity and complexity, diabetes care relies heavily on a functioning family system. It has been established that healthy family interactions can have a positive impact in health education and management in patients with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes.4–6 The family life cycle (FLC) is the sequence of phases that a family goes through since their establishment all the way to their dissolution;7 the World Health Organization has a model that consists of six stages of the FLC: formation, extension, completed extension, contraction, completed contraction and dissolution.8 This cycle is a dynamic process that involves the individual health of each family member; thus, it can determine the presence or absence of chronic degenerative diseases as result of individual and family lifestyles.9 Researchers have found that family involvement in the day-to-day management of diabetes was critical for its control.10 A study made by Beltrán et al.,11 related glycemic control with family functionality in type 2 diabetic patients, finding that there is a relationship between good glycemic control and functional families. Likewise, a Peruvian study evaluated whether knowledge about diabetes mellitus and family functionality are associated with therapeutic adherence in adults with type 2 DM; he observed that poor adherence to treatment is influenced by family dysfunction and poor knowledge about diabetes.12 As part of the management of hypoglycemia, family is considered an important pillar to support the patient, being that, if this type of support does not exist, it can favor a lack of metabolic control or, in fact, limit the treatment of the disease.6 There is little information between the relationship of hypoglycemia with family functionality, which are important for the patient to have good control of diabetes; therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the association between family functionality and hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.