A new study shows that people suffering from diabetes have a 74% chance of developing some kind of dementia.
September 21, 2011- Diabetes already has a number of complications making trying to avoid the disease a priority for most. Another complication has been added to that list by Japanese researchers. They say that their study indicates those with diabetes are over twice as likely to at some point develop Alzheimer’s and they also have a higher risk of developing some form of dementia.
A dangerous level of blood sugar is built up in diabetes sufferers because their body will not use insulin properly. Over 10% of adults in America have some form of the ailment. Eventually the disease can lead to a number of different complications that include nerve damage, kidney failure, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, stroke and problems with bladder control.
Prior studies have shown links between diabetes and a risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia but no association between them has ever been found. Because of this, Japanese researchers did a study to determine the possible association. Researchers looked into on ongoing study following adults that were having their glucose processing checked and had found that over the 15 year study over 230 of the patients had developed dementia.
The study found that compared to those that did not suffer from diabetes and had normal glucose processing those diagnosed with the disease had an increased risk of 74% of developing some form of dementia. This was after all risks indicators had been taken into consideration like body mass, age and others. The most common form of dementia found in the study was by far Alzheimer’s.
