Younger Age at T2DM Onset Linked to Subsequent Dementia Risk

WEDNESDAY, April 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Younger age at onset of type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk for subsequent dementia, according to a study published in the April 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Claudio Barbiellini Amidei, M.D., from the Université de Paris, and colleagues examined whether younger age at type 2 diabetes onset is more strongly associated withthe incidence of dementia in a population-based study in the United Kingdom, established in 1985 to 1988, which had linkage to electronic health records until March 2019.

During a median follow-up of 31.7 years, the researchers identified 1,710 cases of diabetes and 639 cases of dementia among 10,095 participants. Compared with participants without diabetes at age 70 years, the hazard ratio for dementia was 2.12 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.50 to 3.00), 1.49 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.95 to 2.32), and 1.11 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.70 to 1.76) for participants with diabetes onset more than 10 years earlier, six to 10 years earlier, and five years earlier or less, respectively, in multivariable-adjusted analyses. A graded association between age of onset of type 2 diabetes and dementia was indicated by the linear trend test. In analyses adjusted for sociodemographics, health behaviors, and health-related measures, at age 70 years, every five-year younger age at onset of type 2 diabetes was significantly associated with a hazard ratio of dementia of 1.24 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.46).

“These findings highlight the importance of age at onset of diabetes and cardiovascular comorbidity in persons with diabetes for risk of dementia,” the authors write.

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