Relationships Between Hyperglycemia and Cognitive Performance Among Adults With

Acute hyperglycemia is not a benign event for many individuals with diabetes, but it is associated with mild cognitive dysfunction.

This study prospectively and objectively assessed the effects of hyperglycemia on cognitive-motor functioning in subjects’ natural environment.

Study 1 investigated 105 adults with type 1 diabetes (mean age 37 years and mean duration of diabetes 20 years), study 2 investigated 36 adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age 50 years and mean duration of diabetes 10 years), and study 3 investigated 91 adults with type 1 diabetes (mean age 39 years and mean duration of diabetes 20 years). Subjects used a hand-held computer for 70 trials over 4 weeks, which required them to complete various cognitive-motor tasks and then measure and enter their current blood glucose reading.

Hyperglycemia (blood glucose >15 mmol/l) was associated with slowing of all cognitive performance tests and an increased number of mental subtraction errors for both type 1 and type 2 diabetic subjects. The effects of hyperglycemia were highly individualized, impacting 50% of the subjects.

These findings have potential clinical meaning for individuals living with diabetes. In this study, hyperglycemia resulted in increased errors and slower responses when performing basic verbal and mathematical tasks, which are important in numerous daily functions, such as balancing checkbooks, calculating insulin dosing, and school and work performance.

If patients could be trained to both recognize and accurately interpret these disruptions in cognitive performance, they may better recognize hyperglycemia and more quickly take action to treat it

Acute hyperglycemia is not a benign event for many individuals with diabetes, but it is associated with mild cognitive dysfunction.
Diabetes Care 28:71-77, 2005

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