Diabetes, dimentia can be deadly combination
The risk of death from dangerously low blood sugar is much higher among
seniors who have both diabetes and dementia than those with diabetes
alone, a new study finds.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 20,000 people aged 65 and older
with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were followed for up to five years
after their first recorded low blood sugar episode.
Those with both diabetes and dementia had a 67 percent higher risk of
death following dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) than those
with diabetes alone, according to study findings.
"Hypoglycemia is an under-recognized risk factor for death in older
adults with diabetes and dementia," said study author Dr. Katharina
Mattishent, an Alzheimer's Society clinical research fellow at Norwich
Medical School in England.
"In this vulnerable group, clinicians and patients should move away from
relentless pursuit of strict glucose-lowering targets, she said. "The
focus must be directed at rigorous detection of hypoglycemia using
continuous glucose monitoring devices."
The findings were presented Monday at the annual meeting of the European
Association for the Study of Diabetes, in Berlin. Such research is
considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
"With no new dementia drugs in 15 years, minimizing risk and improving
care is key. We know that diabetes can raise the risk of developing
dementia, and with both of these illnesses on the rise we urgently need
to understand this relationship better," said James Pickett, head of
research at the Alzheimer's Society.
"Very low blood sugar levels are clearly dangerous to anyone with
diabetes, and this suggests the effects might be even more extreme in
people with dementia," Pickett said in a meeting news release.
"The study didn't show cause and effect but, given the dangers of low
blood sugar levels, clearly it should be managed carefully," he added.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more on hypoglycemia.
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