A comparative study between patients with Alzheimer's disease with and without diabetes mellitus in an Egyptian sample

Abstract

Objectives To assess the clinical differences between patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) with diabetes mellitus (DM) and those without DM. Methods Sixty patients with AD were divided into two groups: the patients in group A had DM and the patients in group B did not have DM; the severity of dementia was assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, behavioral and psychological symptoms were assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory in addition to the Mini-Mental State Examination. Vascular complications were excluded using computed tomography brain imaging and the diabetic condition was assessed by the blood glucose level. Results The prevalence of severe dementia was significantly higher in AD patients with DM than in AD patients without DM, severe cognitive deterioration was significantly higher in AD patients with DM than in AD patients without DM, and behavioral and psychological symptoms were significantly more prevalent in the first group, especially depression. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes had more severe dementia than patients with controlled diabetes. Conclusion Diabetes is a risk factor for AD and adds to the severity of dementia; in addition, it is associated with more cognitive deterioration and more behavioral and psychological symptoms, especially depression, even in the absence of vascular complications. Copyright © Middle East Current Psychiatry.