Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus is one the major disease burden globally. One of the significant complications of the uncontrolled Diabetics is Cognitive dysfunction and Dementia. In this study we laid focus on the Evaluation of HbA1C as a Biomarker to predict Dementia and Cognitive Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus. Aim of the study: A pilot study to investigate HbA1C as a Biomarker for prediction of Dementia and Cognitive Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus in a Hospital Setting. Methods and results: A prevalence study in which 60 subjects (n=30 Type 2 Diabetics; n=30 non Diabetic) were enrolled. In this study HbA1C values were correlated with that of individual memory and cognition batteries* score. The range of the HbA1C values was 7.1 to 13.3. The mean values of HbA1C in the Diabetic group (n=30) was found to be 9.19.The corresponding values of Pearson’s Correlation “r” in the diabetic group of the w.r.t. various Cognitive batteries were: General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG)=-0.53; Attendant Informant Tool (AI)=-0.43; Memory Impairment Screen (MIS)=-0.37; Negative values of the Pearson’s Correlation “r” indicates that lower the respective battery score, poorer is the cognitive function. In the Diabetic group GPCOG, AI and MIS were found to be significantly correlated with HBA1C. Similarly, in the non- Diabetic group (n=30), no significant Dementia and Cognitive Impairment was recorded when same group of Cognitive Batteries were administered. Conclusion: It is quite evident from the results that HbA1C as biomarker has a great potential to predict Dementia and Cognitive decline in uncontrolled Diabetes. However, the study needs to be conducted on a larger scale along with comparative analysis with tools like Functional MRI and other standard biomarkers.

Keywords: Diabetes; Dementia; Alzheimers