[en] Objective: To measure the prevalence of various care services offered to the elderly with diabetes mellitus in Brazil, and to assess the social inequalities in these services. Methods: This cross-sectional, population-based study was carried out in 2013. The care services offered were evaluated in terms of the following eight indicators: recommendations to lower carbohydrates, to measure blood glucose, and to examine the feet; requests made for blood tests, for glycated hemoglobin tests, and for glycemic curve tests; and whether service users had had their eyes or feet examined in the previous year. We used the slope index of inequality and the concentration index to assess the inequalities among wealth quintiles. Results: A total of 1 685 elderly persons with diabetes were evaluated. Overall, 41.7% of them had had their eyes examined in the preceding year, 35.4% had had their feet examined in the preceding year, and 10.9% had been offered all eight of the care services. The largest absolute differences (in percentage points) between the first (poorest) and fifth (richest) wealth quintiles in terms of the care services that were offered to the users were for: a recommendation to measure blood glucose (25.8), a glycated hemoglobin test request (27.4), a glycemic curve test request (31.9), having the eyes examined in the preceding year (29.3), and having the feet examined in the preceding year (27.0). Conclusion: There were notable inequalities in the prevalences of the care services. In the future, measurement of blood glucose and examination of the feet should be emphasized, especially for elderly persons in a lower socioeconomic level.

[pt] Objetivo: Medir a prevalência de vários serviços de atenção oferecidos a idosos portadores de diabetes mellitus no Brasil e avaliar desigualdades sociais nestes serviços. Métodos: Estudo transversal, de caráter populacional, realizado em 2013. Os serviços de atenção oferecidos foram avaliados quanto aos oito indicadores a seguir: recomendação de diminuir o consumo de carboidratos, medir a glicemia e examinar os pés; pedido de exames de sangue, hemoglobina glicada e curva glicêmica; e realização de exame dos olhos ou pés nos usuários do serviço durante o ano anterior. Foram utilizados o índice absoluto de desigualdade e o índice de concentração para avaliar as desigualdades entre quintis de renda. Resultados: Foram avaliados 1.685 idosos com diabetes. Destes, 41,7% haviam sido submetidos a exame dos olhos no ano anterior, 35,4% a exame dos pés, e a 10,9% haviam sido oferecidos todos os oito serviços de atenção. As maiores diferenças absolutas (em pontos percentuais) entre o primeiro (mais pobre) e quinto (mais rico) quintis de renda foram constatadas para os seguintes serviços de atenção: recomendação de medir a glicemia (25,8), pedido de exame de hemoglobina glicada (27,4), pedido de exame de curva glicêmica (31,9), exame de olhos no ano anterior (29,3) e exame dos pés no ano anterior (27,0). Conclusão: Foram constatadas desigualdades notáveis na prevalência dos serviços de atenção. Futuramente, deve-se dar ênfase à medição da glicemia e do exame dos pés, principalmente em idosos de nível socioeconômico mais baixo.