Takeaway
- Depression in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is associated with significantly increased risk for dementia
- This risk was found to be independent of vascular comorbidities and proximal glycaemic control.
Why this matters
- Depression is commonly associated with worse self-care, poorer adherence and increased risk for complications.
- Depression in patients with T1D is commonly diagnosed during mid-adulthood or earlier, which makes it necessary to understand the possible negative brain health effect of T1D among this population.
Study design
- This study assessed 3742 participants with T1D (no depression, n=2990; depression, n=752) and were followed for dementia onset from 1996 to 2015.
- Dementia diagnoses were identified using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, ninth edition.
- Funding: National Institute on Aging.
Key results
- Mean age of the participants was 56.1 years.
- 20% had baseline depression and 5% of the participants developed dementia during follow-up.
- After adjustments, risk for dementia was 72% higher in participants with depression (aHR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.12-2.65).
- Baseline depression was found to be associated with 126% increased risk for dementia after 5 years (HR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.24-4.11).
Limitations
- Brain imaging was not available.
- Age of diabetes onset was unknown.
References
References
