Assessment of Cognitive Function in Diabetic Patients – A Case-Control Study

Background: Diabetes mellitus results from defects in insulin secretion, resistance to insulin action, or both. Hyperglycemia causes small vessel diseases and thus affects the retina, kidneys, and nerves. An effect of diabetes that is not entirely understood is cognitive dysfunction. Methods: This case-control study aimed to study the cognitive function of the participants, which included 25 diabetics and 72 without diabetes as per the inclusion exclusion criteria. Participants underwent assessment of cognition by 3MS exam, and personal data was collected. 23 participants were excluded by the exclusion criteria. Age, gender, comorbidities, education, and HbA1C were correlated with the scores. The data were analyzed by Excel version 2013. Results: The group with diabetes showed a significant decrease in 3MS scores in comparison to the control group (90.11 ± 0.75 in controls versus 86.27 ± 1.24 in patients with diabetes, p < 0.05). People with diabetes of higher age groups scored significantly lower than the control of higher age groups (p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between cognitive scores and dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes and control samples (87 ±2.03 in patients with diabetes group with dyslipidemia versus 92.50 ± 2.09 in the control group with dyslipidemia, p< 0.05). Undergraduate controls scored higher than patients with diabetes undergraduates, p < 0.05. The correlation with gender as well as HbA1c was not significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: It has been established that diabetes decreases cognitive function. It is important to highlight the importance of testing cognitive function routinely in patients with diabetes to prevent further complications by early detection and management. Keywords: 3MS, Cognitive function, Diabetes Mellitus, HbA1c, Hyperglycemia