Khaberni - A new American study warns that patients with type 1 diabetes face a tripled risk of developing dementia compared to those not suffering from this chronic disease.
Researchers at Boston University followed about 300,000 Americans for two years. The study included 283,772 participants with an average age of 65 years, the age at which the majority of dementia cases are diagnosed in the United States.
Among the participants, there were 5,442 with type 1 diabetes and 51,511 with type 2 diabetes. During the two-year follow-up period (which extended up to six years for some cases), 2,348 individuals developed dementia, including 144 patients with type 1 diabetes (2.6%) and 942 patients with type 2 (1.8%).
When comparing these numbers with those who do not have diabetes, the team found that patients with type 1 were about 2.8 times more likely to develop dementia, while those with type 2 were twice as likely, after accounting for social and economic factors such as age and education level.
The fundamental difference between the two types of diabetes lies in their very nature. Type 2 is a preventable disease that results from lifestyle factors like obesity and poor nutrition, and it is typically diagnosed at an older age. Type 1, however, is an autoimmune condition that cannot be prevented, where the body destroys its insulin-producing cells, usually developing in childhood.
Researchers have not yet determined the exact mechanism by which diabetes increases the risk of dementia, but experts suggest several possible explanations. Repeated episodes of high and low blood sugar may cause inflammation and damage to cells in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. Additionally, severe insulin dysfunction, especially in type 1, may deprive nerve cells of glucose and allow the accumulation of amyloid plaques associated with dementia.
Furthermore, fluctuations in blood sugar can damage the blood vessels in the brain, leading to what is known as vascular dementia. Type 2 diabetes also harms brain blood vessels and causes inflammation and amyloid build-up.
These findings come in the context of increasing research on dementia risk factors, where a recent study found that half of dementia cases are linked to modifiable lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Earlier research published in The Lancet identified about 14 modifiable risk factors, including physical inactivity, diet, pollution, and lack of social interaction.
However, the link between type 1 diabetes and a higher risk than type 2 raises particular concern among researchers because type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented fundamentally.
Researchers believe there is a need for more studies to assess the risk of dementia according to the type of diabetes and to develop strategies for early intervention and prevention.
