Stroke and subclinical markers of vascular disease may be predicative of those older patients with type 2 diabetes who may develop cognitive decline.
In that previous studies suggest that vascular disease may contribute to increased risk of accelerated cognitive decline in people with type 2 diabetes, Scottish researchers investigated whether stroke and subclinical markers of vascular disease may be predicative of the decline. The Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study (ET2DS) Investigators research group studied 831 men and women, ages 60-75 years, who participated in two study waves. The team found that suffering a stroke was significantly associated with estimated lifetime cognitive decline. Certain subclinical markers of vascular disease – namely, N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), ankle-brachial index (ABI), and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) – also were associated with cognitive decline over a 4-year period. Observing that: “Stroke and subclinical markers of cardiac stress and generalized atherosclerosis are associated with cognitive decline in older patients with type 2 diabetes,” the study authors submit that: “Further investigation into the potential use of subclinical vascular disease markers in predicting cognitive decline is warranted.”
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Feinkohl I, Keller M, Robertson CM, Morling JR, Williamson RM, Nee LD, McLachlan S, Sattar N, Welsh P, Reynolds RM, Russ TC, Deary IJ, Strachan MW, Price JF; On behalf of the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study (ET2DS) Investigators. “Clinical and Subclinical Macrovascular Disease as Predictors of Cognitive Decline in Older Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: The Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study.” Diabetes Care. 2013 Apr 11.