Severe hypoglycemia is linked to cognitive decline in seniors with type 1 diabetes, a new study has shown.
The condition is a common, yet life-threatening, complication of type 1 diabetes. To determine whether it has an effect on brain health in these adults as they age, researchers analyzed the health data of more than 700 older participants with type 1 diabetes. Fully 32% reported having recent severe hypoglycemia and 50% had lifetime severe hypoglycemia.
Participants with a recent history of severe hypoglycemia were found to have significantly lower global cognition scores compared with those who did not report the complication. This included lower scores on language, executive function, and episodic memory. Meanwhile, participants with lifetime severe hypoglycemia exposure had significantly lower executive function than their peers without the disorder.
“Given the increasing life expectancy in [type 1 diabetes], understanding the role of severe hypoglycemia in brain health is crucial,” wrote Mary Lacy, Ph.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues.
Data was culled from the Study of Longevity in Diabetes. An article was published online Dec. 27 in the journal Diabetes Care.
