Introduction: The Gérodiab study is the first French multicenter, prospective, observational cohort study designed to assess the association between glycemic control and 5-year morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes aged 70 years and older. We report the initial results at enrollment. Patients and methods: 987 independent patients with type 2 diabetes aged 70 years and older were enrolled between June 2009 and July 2010 at 56 participating centers. General patient data, diabetes characteristics, and standard geriatric parameters were recorded. Results: The mean age was 77.1 years, and 28.5% of patients were over 80 years old. The mean body mass index (BMI) was close to 30 kg/m². Hypertension was noted in 89.8% of patients, and 85.0% had dyslipidemia. The average duration of diabetes was 17.8 years, and the average HbA1c level was close to 7.5%. During the six months prior to enrollment, 33.6% of patients had experienced one or more episodes of hypoglycemia; 26.0% of patients had diabetic retinopathy, 37.3% had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) below 60 mL/min/1.73 m², 31.2% had coronary artery disease, 10.1% had heart failure, 15.8% had cerebrovascular disease, and 25.6% had lower extremity peripheral artery disease. Orthostatic hypotension was noted in 30.5% of patients, and protein-energy malnutrition in 12.4%. Cognitive impairment was frequently detected at the baseline visit and affected 28.8% of patients. Three-quarters of patients were receiving an oral antidiabetic medication, and nearly 6 out of 10 were receiving insulin. Conclusion: The study population can be considered representative of independent elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. Five-year follow-up should help clarify the link between glycemic control and morbidity and mortality. (R.A.)