Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Memory Problems?

By Betsy Lievense, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Type 2 diabetics may be at greater risk for cognitive impairments and Alzheimer's disease than non-diabetics, according to the results of a recent study.

When researchers at Columbia Medical Center in New York conducted a longitudinal study from 1992 to 2003 to assess the progression of cognitive dementia in people over 65 years old, they found type 2 diabetics were more likely to acquire cognitive impairments that cause thinking and learning disabilities than non-diabetics. In fact, study authors report type 2 diabetics are particularly prone to amnestic mild cognitive impairment, a form of dementia that causes memory loss and could be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

The new study included 918 individuals who were dementia-free upon enrollment in the 1992 survey. Although free of cognitive impairments at the start of the study, 23.9 percent of participants had type 2 diabetes, 68.2 percent had hypertension, 33.9 percent had heart disease and 15 percent were stroke survivors. Researchers used personal interviews and physical and neurological exams to document the progression of cognitive dementia in each individual for 11 years. Researchers also administered tests to detect changes in learning, memory, language, and reasoning every 18 months.

After six years, researchers found 334 individuals participating in the study experienced some form of cognitive impairment, and 160 experienced the amnestic cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's.

"[This study] is another piece of evidence that cognitive impairment, including that related to Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease, can be caused by diabetes," José A. Luchsinger, M.D., M.Ph., an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University, told Ivanhoe. "Given the epidemic of diabetes in the U.S. and [the world], the possibility of cognitive impairment as a complication seems another good reason to prevent diabetes."

Based on their findings, researchers also suggest a link between diabetes and the accumulation of plaque in the brain that is characteristic of Alzheimer's. This might also explain why type 2 diabetics are often at increased risk for the debilitating disease.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with José A. Luchsinger, M.D., M.Ph.; The Archives of Neurology, 2007;64: 570-575

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