Mild Cognitive Impairment Linked to Diabetes

Diabetics may have a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, which may be an intermediate step toward Alzheimer’s disease, says a U.S. study.

Dr. Jose A. Lunching and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center tracked 918 individuals older than age 65 years who did not have mild cognitive disorder or dementia when they enrolled between 1992 and 1994. Their average age was 75.9 years.

The risk of mild cognitive impairment attributable to diabetes was 8.8 percent for the whole sample, 8.4 percent for African-Americans, 11 percent for Hispanics and 4.6 percent for non-Hispanic whites. The diversity in rates reflects the differences in diabetes prevalence by ethnic group, according to the study in the Archives of Neurology.

Diabetes could be related to a higher risk for amnestic mild cognitive impairment by directly affecting the buildup of plaques in the brain, according to Lunching.