The state of cognitive functions in patients with adult onset type 2 diabetes mellitus depending on sex, age and level of education

Abstract

Background. According to the meta-analysis of studies, patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have worse memory performance, information processing speed, executive functions compared to patients without DM. The level of education, the age of the patient are also important factors in the development of dementia. But research was conducted on selected populations, and the impact of demographic and social factors was studied in a particular area. The purpose of our work was to study the influence of sex, age, education level on the state of cognitive function in patients with type 2 DM in the Ukrainian population. Materials and methods. Eighty one patients with type 2 DM were examined, including 43 women and 38 men. Evaluation of the cognitive impairment was carried out in the morning using the following methods: a “5 words” test, a mental status assessment scale, a battery of tests for frontal dysfunction, an assessment of a clock drawing test. Results. The average age of patients was 55.03 ± 0.37 years, the average level of HbA1c — 8.75 ± 0.16 %, the average duration of DM — 10.03 ± 1.03 years. There was no reliable difference between men and women in the performance of neuropsychological tests. Also, no differences were found between the groups by age and level of education and the state of cognitive function. But the negative effect of age on cognitive function was found according to the Mini-Mental State Examination. Conclusions. A negative relationship between age and the state of cognitive functions was found. It is necessary to carry out further studies on the effect of other socio-cultural factors on the state of cognitive function in patients with type 2 DM.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• cognitive impairment
• age
• gender
• level of education