Current landscape of chronic complications in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/we1ayp61Keywords:
Type 2 diabetes mellitus; diabetes complications; cardiovascular diseases; quality of life; systematic review.Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to expand worldwide, increasing the number of people exposed for years to chronic hyperglycemia, a condition that favors microvascular, macrovascular, cognitive, and psychosocial complications. Accordingly, this review aimed to determine the most frequent chronic complications associated with T2DM and their impact on morbidity, mortality, and patients' quality of life, according to evidence published between 2023 and 2026. To achieve this objective, a systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020, with a research question structured under the PICO format, a search carried out in PubMed, SciELO, and CINAHL, and a quality assessment performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool.
As a result, of 187 records identified, 20 studies were included, showing that retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy share a common pathophysiological mechanism of endothelial damage; likewise, cardiovascular disease was found to be the leading cause of death among people with T2DM, peripheral arterial disease was shown to multiply the risk of amputation up to fivefold, and depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline were found to affect a considerable proportion of this population, with a depression prevalence of 35 percent. Taken together, these findings are consistent with global disease-burden projections and with the preventive-screening gaps described in Latin America and Ecuador, leading to the conclusion that T2DM requires a comprehensive approach from primary care, with nursing playing a central role in prevention and timely detection.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Laura Geanella Román Relica, Néxar Darío Zambrano Pinargote, Diego Orlando Lanchi Zuñiga, Juan Diego Lanchi Campoverde (Autor/a)
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