A fasting experience amongst the elderly population in KSA

Aims/Purpose

As per previous studies, 70-90% of 60-65yrs old age groups with Type 2 diabetes, had fasted in Ramadan, despite having a high or very high fasting risk.
The study was meant to observe the fasting trend amongst the elderly with Type2 diabetes.


Design & Method

It was an observational study, in which the clinical and laboratory data of the fasting, old aged individuals with Type 2 diabetes, was collected during the holy month of Ramadan (18thFebruary-18th March, 2026).
All of them were Saudis, being followed up by the home health teams of our hospital.

The patients’ ages, genders, body mass indices, diagnoses, current medications, cognition, fasting complications (hypoglycemia, dehydration, infection, thromboembolic event),vital signs, HbA1c and eGFR ml/min were noted down by visiting them and through the hospital’s electronic health records.

The fasting risk for people with diabetes was estimated through the updated IDF-DAR
calculator-2026.

Above data was subsequently tabulated on an excel sheet. The results were inferred by
analyzing the excel data.


Results

There were a total of thirty three studied patients, with an age range of 58-89 yrs (mean 73 years). Their mean body mass index was 28kg/m².

Type 2 diabetes was seen amongst 66.66 % of the fasting people. Mean HbA1c was 8.1 %. None reported any fasting associated acute complication.

18.2 % patients had chronic kidney disease with Type 2 (mean eGFR 59 ml/min.
36.36 % of people with diabetes had either ischemic heart disease or heart failure and 32% were found to have a past history of stroke. 22.7% of them had cognitive impairment.

Their Ramadan DAR Risk Score (2026) ranged between 6.6-15.5 (mean 11).

Conclusion

66.66 % of our elderly home care patients with Type 2 diabetes, safely fasted in Ramadan,
despite having a high fasting risk (>6).

The elderly people with Type 2 diabetes must be appropriately assessed and educated
about their fasting risk, well ahead of Ramadan.