Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with risk of developing microvascular and macrovascular complications. In recent years, studies have reported an association between type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment. However cognitive dysfunction often goes undetected in diabetic patients.
Objectives: To assess the cognitive dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE) and evaluate its association with cognition, demographic factors and diabetes duration.
Materials and methods: A prospective cross sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital, Kozhikode.190 type 2 diabetic patients aged 45-65 years were included using defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Cognitive impairment was assessed using MMSE scale with scores ranging from 0-30(lower scores indicate more impairment). Demographic data and diabetes duration were recorded. Data analyzed using SPSS software. A Chi- square test to determine statistical significance.
Results: Rates of cognitive dysfunction increased with age, highest being 97.36% in the 56- 60 age groups. Females had a slightly higher rate (94.11%) compared to males (91.42%). A strong association was seen between longer diabetes duration and cognitive impairment with 100% of patients having dysfunction in the 11-15 and 21-25 duration groups. 7.36% had normal cognition, while 44.73% had mild, 42.10% had moderate and 5.78% had severe cognitive impairment. Cognitive dysfunction significantly associated with increasing age and longer duration of diabetes (p<0.01). No significant association was found between cognitive impairment and gender or occupation.
Conclusion: The study establish a significant statistical association between type 2 diabetes and mild cognitive impairment. Cognitive dysfunction appears to be an unrecognized complication, with duration of diabetes and age being major risk factors. Early recognition and management of cognitive impairment in diabetics is crucial for improving quality of life.