Diabetes And Dementia: Diabetes Progression Linked To Memory Loss

New findings published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveal that people who have diabetes may be at an increased risk of dementia.

Statistics show that more than 29 million Americans have diabetes, according to the Society's Endocrine Facts and Figures Report. And among every 100 Americans diagnosed with the condition, 21 will deal with nerve damage, 27 will have diabetic kidney disease and between 29 and 33 will have diabetic eye disease that can cloud their vision.

Researchers conducted a 12-year-long study on a population-based cohort study that used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database's records, dating back to 1999 in order to identify 431,178 people over the age of 50 who had been newly diagnosed with diabetes. 

Researchers also reviewed records to determine how many people in the cohort were admitted to a hospital or at least three outpatient medical visits for dementia after they had been diagnosed with diabetes. They adapted versions of the Diabetes Complications Severity Index to further evaluate progression of the disease; this tool helps predict deaths and hospitalizations among those with diabetes.

"Our research is the first nationwide study to examine how the severity and progression of diabetes is related to dementia diagnosis rates in an older population," said one of the study's authors, Wei-Che Chiu, MD, PhD, of the National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Cathay General Hospital and Fu Jen Catholic University, all in Taipei, Taiwan. "We found that as diabetes progresses and an individual experiences more complications from the disease, the risk of dementia rises as well."

Findings revealed that from the cohort, 26,856 people, or 6.2 percent, were diagnosed with dementia. This risk was also higher among those who scored high on the Diabetes Complications Severity Index when compared to lower-scoring counterparts.

"The study demonstrates why it is so crucial for people with diabetes to work closely with health care providers on controlling their blood sugar," Chiu said. "Managing the disease can help prevent the onset of dementia later in life."

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