The factors contributing to cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUNDS

The aim of the research was to investigate the factors contributing to cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients, to distinguish the complex relationship between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and different cognitive status.

METHODS

Two hundred and ninety-seven type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients were enrolled in our study. We adopted the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) to evaluate the cognitive function. Firstly, cognition status was classified into dementia and non-dementia according to MMSE and CDR. Patients with non-dementia were further classified into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normal cognition status based on MOCA. The factors contributing to cognitive dysfunction were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among the 297 T2DM subjects, 47 were enrolled in the dementia group and 174 in the MCI group according to a battery of cognitive function tests, presenting a prevalence of 15.8% and 58.6% respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, and education level, waist circumference and DR were risk factors for dementia (OR: 1.057, P=0.011; OR: 2.197, P=0.040). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was a risk factor for MCI (OR: 1.635, P=0.047), while age at T2DM onset and moderate drinking were protective factors for MCI (OR: 0.936, P=0.044; OR: 0.289, P=0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

MCI is common in T2DM patients. Waist circumference and DR are risk factors of dementia, LDL-C is a risk factor for MCI, and moderate drinking and age at T2DM onset are protective factors for MCI. DR is unrelated to MCI in T2DM.