Type 2 Diabetes Independent of Glycemic Control is Associated With Cognitive Impairments: Findings From NHANES

Abstract

Examine the association between glycemic control and cognition. Included subjects ≥60 years who participated in the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and completed one of the followings: Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Word List (CERAD-WL), Animal Fluency (AF), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and CERAD-Delayed Recall (CERAD-DR). Stratified participants into: No type 2 diabetes (T2D; N = 557), Controlled T2D ( N = 41), Uncontrolled T2D ( N = 120), and Untreated T2D ( N = 86). Multiple regression was used to examine the association between variables. After adjusting for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors, Uncontrolled T2D was associated with lower DSST (β = −3.164, p = .04), and Untreated T2D was associated with a trend for having lower CERAD-DR (β = −.496, p = .06) scores. T2D, independent of glycemic control, is associated with cognitive impairment and this relationship is influenced by modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.