The American Diabetes Association (ADA) standards of medical care is a document I refer to from time to time. The document covers so many areas in diabetes care. Going through the document gives you the far-reaching consequences of diabetes. The ADA notes that diabetes is associated with a significantlyincreased risk, and rate, of cognitivedecline and with increased risk ofdementia. In a 15-year prospectivestudy of community-dwelling peopleover the age of 60 years, thepresence of diabetes at baseline significantlyincreased the age- and sex-adjustedincidence of all-cause dementia,Alzheimer disease, and vascular dementiacompared with rates in those withnormal glucose tolerance.The effects of hyperglycemiaand insulin on the brain are areas of intenseresearch interest.
A paper by Cukierman et al titled "Cognitive decline and dementia in diabetes-systematic overview of prospective observational studies" published in Diabetologia2005 Dec; 48(12):2460-9. Epub 2005 Nov 8., noted that compared to people without diabetes, people with diabetes have a greater rate of decline in cognitive function and a greater risk of cognitive decline. Cognitive dysfunction should therefore be added to the list of chronic complications of diabetes.
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