According to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, people with type 2 diabetes who have cognitive impairment may be at higher risk for stroke, heart attack, or death than other diabetics.
When a person has problems remembering things, learning new things, concentrating, or making judgments that influence their daily lives, they are said to have cognitive impairment. More than 16 million people in the United States suffer from cognitive impairment, with age being the leading cause.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body’s ability to control and utilize sugar (glucose) as a fuel is impaired. Too much sugar circulates in the bloodstream as a result of this long-term (chronic) disease. High blood sugar levels can eventually cause problems with the circulatory, neurological, and immunological systems.
The ability to learn factual information, which is often the type of knowledge that can be easily examined, is a component of cognitive abilities and knowledge. Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes have all been linked to mild to severe cognitive impairment.
“Our study found low scores on cognitive tests predicted heart disease in people with diabetes and other heart risk factors,” said co-author Hertzel C. Gerstein, M.D., of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. “Although the explanation for this remains unclear, proven heart medications should be offered to these patients to reduce their future risk of a heart attack or stroke.”
Type 2 diabetes was previously referred to as adult-onset diabetes, however, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can start in infancy or maturity. Although type 2 diabetes is more common in older persons, an increase in the number of obese youngsters has resulted in an increase in type 2 diabetes incidence among children.
Our study found low scores on cognitive tests predicted heart disease in people with diabetes and other heart risk factors. Although the explanation for this remains unclear, proven heart medications should be offered to these patients to reduce their future risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Hertzel C. Gerstein
During a five-year follow-up period, the researchers looked at the connection between cognitive performance and future cardiovascular events in 8,772 adults with type 2 diabetes who were part of the REWIND experiment. People with the lowest levels of cognitive function had a higher risk of heart attack and stroke than those with better levels of cognitive function, according to the study.
When compared to persons without cognitive impairment, people with severe cognitive impairment were up to 1.6 times more likely to have major adverse cardiovascular events, 1.8 times more likely to have a stroke, and 1.8 times more likely to die.
These findings show that a person’s cognitive capacity may be able to predict their future risk of heart disease. Eli Lilly and Company provided support for the study.
