Diabetes and dementia

Abstract

An aging global population is driving the current epidemic of dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is a known risk factor for the development of vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment. Good control of diabetes may improve cognitive decline and prevent Alzheimer's disease. Mild cognitive impairment with type 2 diabetes (DM-MCI) often presents as a decline in attention, psychomotor speed, executive function, and memory. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is one of the best screening tools for detecting DM-MCI. We found that 72% of the patients admitted to educational hospitalization for type 2 diabetes could also be categorized into groups with frontal lobe dysfunction, delayed recall, and a mixed-type group. Anti-diabetic drugs and insulin may protect and improve cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease and DM-MCI, but more studies are needed to verify this claim. Diabetes mellitus may be linked not only to Alzheimer's disease but also to other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and frontotemporal lobe dementia.