Delays in the learning process, bad memory, a certain deficit of attention and less speed to solve problems, are some manifestations of cognitive damage that diabetic patients may present.
Endocrinologist Dr. Sara Brito de González, head of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases of the Dr. "Carlos Arvelo" Military Hospital, emphasized that the progression of the disease increases by 50% the risk of developing some type of dementia in adulthood in adulthood in adulthood.
The endocrinologist explained that the high concentration of blood glucose, characteristic of diabetes, entails a series of complications that generally affect people's health and quality of life.One of them, still under study, is cognitive dysfunction.However, it is not yet considered a classic complication in chronic aggravation derived from this pathology.
Changes at the brain level experienced by diabetics increase their risk of developing diseases such as Alzheimer's dementia.
According to the specialist, the investigations advanced in this regard reflect that patients with both types of diabetes 1 or 2 are affected.Type 1 diabetics have a wide range of cognitive alterations, which have been recognized in different neuropsychological tests and can also have structural brain damage.In type 1 diabetes, it has stood out in various studies that the impact is greater when it starts at very early ages.
In relation to type 2 diabetes, the doctor reported damage associated with care and speed to process information: “In these patients, cognitive dysfunction does not merit a danger at an early age, nor the appearance of an abrupt change in their mental functions,but it is maintained over time and suffers progressive deterioration with age, ”said Dr. Brito.It is a damage that begins in pre-diabetic states, so early prevention with adequate habits as regular physical activity and balanced feeding are the key to delaying the cognitive deterioration process at this risk stage.
On the other hand, he stressed that cognitive impairment is generally not evident in the normal life of patients with type 2 diabetes: "It is something that goes unnoticed, but in situations of intellectual demand, the aforementioned alterations can come out."
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