Social determinants of health and quality of life among uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a review

Diabetes mellitus is a public health issue; type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the major causes of increased risks of several diseases and complications. The management and better glycemic control reduce the risk of complications associated with diabetes and improve the quality of life of patients. There is a need to consider the external factors indicated as social determinants of diabetes and health to maintain and achieve the goal of sustainable improvement in health outcomes among diabetic patients. This review was aimed at reviewing the social determinants of health and the quality of life of uncontrolled type-2 diabetes mellitus patients. The online databases PubMed, Science Direct, Research Gate, and Google Scholar were used to perform a literature search for publications published between 2010 and 2021, without any date or language restrictions. We used a combination of relevant search terms "D.M., T2DM, Uncontrolled T2DM, QOL, HRQOL, SDOH". We independently identified publications and systematically screened titles, abstracts, and full texts of the collected publications. The findings included in our review were original articles, review articles, and systematic reviews written in English and focused on our objective. The obtained articles were reviewed and selected based on the inclusion criteria. The quality of life of T2DM patients was found low, especially among patients with uncontrolled diabetes and those with diabetes-associated complications. There was interference observed between social determinants of health and patients' quality of life.