Older adults with type 2 diabetes have increased risk of dementia after one single episode with a low blood sugar sending them to the emergency room. A new study published recently in JAMA found that one episode of severe hypoglycemia increased risk of dementia at a later age by 45%. Two episodes increased the risk by 115% and three or more episodes raised the risk by 160%.
The 16,667 patients who were in the Kaiser Permanente system had a mean age in the mid-60s. Their records were analyzed for trips to the hospital or emergency room for hypoglycemia from 1980 through 2002 and then followed from 2003 to 2007 for signs of dementia.
Approximately
9% of the patients had serious episodes of hypoglycemia in the 22-year period
and 11% were diagnosed with dementia between 2003 and 2007. Study author Rachel
Whitmer, a research scientist with Kaiser Permanente, emphasized the study’s
results and correlation to the importance of blood glucose control.
This is both disturbing and very believable. It would be motivating for those of us struggling to control our BG (Type 1 and 2) to know 1) to what degree hypoglycemia that *doesn't* send one the hospital impacts on dementia, and 2) starting when do we see the effects.
I'm convinced that, after 20 years with Type 1, my mind is notably less sharp and my memory function is declining at an accelerating pace.
This disease sucks.
Posted by: Craig Lambert | 06/08/2009 at 12:32 PM