Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease: Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, reaching 60–80% of case totals, and is one of the major global causes of the elderly population’s decline in functionality concerning daily life activities. Epidemiological research has already indicated that, in addition to several others metabolic factors, diabetes mellitus type 2 is a risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease. Many molecular pathways have been described, and at the same time, there are clues that suggest the connection between type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease, through specific genes, autophagy, and even inflammatory pathways. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted, and its main goal was to reveal the multilevel connection between these diseases.