Hypoglycemia and Cognitive Decline: Which Comes First?

In older adults with diabetes, a comorbid association exists between hypoglycemia and cognitive decline, but their temporal relation is less clear. Researchers evaluated the bidirectional nature of the association in retrospective data from a U.S. multisite health and aging study.

Frequency of hypoglycemic episodes and development of dementia were assessed in 783 older adults (mean age, 74) with diabetes and normal cognitive function at study entry. During 12 years of follow-up, 61 participants (8%) reported at least one hypoglycemic episode severe enough to require hospitalization, and 148 participants (19%) developed dementia. In analyses adjusted for many demographic and cardiovascular factors, participants who experienced severe hypoglyc…