Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome in older adults living with diabetes, particularly as population ageing contributes to a growing burden of the disease worldwide. Diabetes-related complications can affect physical health, daily functioning, and psychosocial well-being in older individuals. A systematic review published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders assessed factors influencing QoL among adults aged 60 years or older with diabetes.

The review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations and searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect for studies published between 2020 and 2025. Only original studies that evaluated QoL in adults aged 60 years or older with diabetes were included. Due to substantial methodological, clinical, and contextual heterogeneity among the studies, the analysis used a narrative synthesis approach rather than quantitative pooling.

Across the included studies, QoL in older adults with diabetes reflected multiple interrelated determinants. These factors were grouped into six domains: behavioral, therapeutic, sociodemographic, clinical, psychosocial, and cognitive. Although study populations, research designs, and QoL measurement tools varied, these determinant categories appeared consistently across subgroups.

The synthesis indicates that deterioration in QoL among older adults with diabetes results from interacting determinants rather than isolated factors. The findings highlight the relevance of systematic QoL assessment and multidimensional, patient-centered care approaches for managing diabetes in ageing populations.