Search Here

People suffering from Type 2 diabetes are exposed to a greater risk of dementia. Women are at an even higher risk of a form of dementia called vascular dementia, according to a new study. The most common cause of this disease has been attributed to Alzheimer's disease which is non-vascular, said senior author Rachel R. Huxley of Curtin University in Perth, Australia. Non-vascular means that the condition is not related to the blood vessels. "In Alzheimer's disease, nerve cells throughout the brain die off, and abnormal proteins accumulate in the brain for reasons not entirely known," Huxley said. "Vascular dementia, in contrast, is the result of impaired blood flow to the brain, usually by a series of small, imperceptible strokes," according to Reuters. "These findings add to the evidence that diabetes confers a greater vascular hazard in women compared with men," Huxley told Reuters Health by email. "Diabetes confers a greater risk of developing heart disease, stroke and now vascular dementia in women compared with men."

For the purpose of the study, the authors reviewed 14 studies that included more than 2 million people and more than 100,000 cases of dementia. The findings were reported in the Diabetes Care. Generally, people suffering from diabetes have 60% more chances of developing a case of dementia as compared to people with no diabetes at all. Women who have the condition are twice more likely to develop a vascular dementia, as compared to men who had a much lesser risk, as reported by Huffington Post.

The study was published in the December 17 issue of Diabetes Care by Saion Chatterjee of Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia. According to the authors of the study, the disparity on treatment of diabetes, especially insufficient care for women may play a crucial role in this development, as per Medscape