Diabetes and Dementia
Dementia is a combination of symptoms that include memory loss and impacts on cognitive functions such as language proficiency, spatial awareness, computing ability, judgment, focus and thinking. Other symptoms may manifest as change in personality, delusion, auditory hallucination and behavioral interference. As the symptoms become severe, the daily life of the patient is significantly impacted. Dementia patients often cannot recall what they had said or done, which is different from normal aging where the person may still be able to remember such details later on.
There are two types of dementia: degenerative dementia and vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is often caused by cerebral vascular diseases and account for about 10~20% of dementia cases; degenerative dementia is the most common form of the disease and account for about 70~80% of all cases. The Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of degenerative dementia; there are over 5 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States, and the incidence of the disease increases with age.
Studies have shown that the risk of diabetic patients developing dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia) is 1.5~2 times more than non-diabetic patients. The exact mechanism of diabetic dementia is not clear; it may be due to brain tissue damage caused by low or high blood sugar. There are currently no tests that can accurately diagnose dementia. The doctor may evaluate whether a patient is suspected of dementia by gathering detailed diagnostic data like physiological examination, daily living functions and behavioral changes, but since symptoms of different types of dementia often overlap each other it is difficult to determine a specific type of dementia.
How can diabetic patients prevent dementia?
Learn new knowledge and new things.
Engage in regular physical activities and get sufficient sleep.
Manage diabetic well.
Contact your medical teams immediately for any similar symptoms, as early detection can lead to early treatment.
