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Cognitive function, dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the elderly
Strachan MW, Reynolds RM, Marioni RE, Price JF.. Nature reviews. Endocrinology, 2011-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Increasing numbers of people are developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, but interventions to prevent and treat the classic microvascular and macrovascular complications have improved, so that people are living longer with the condition. This trend means that novel complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, which are not targeted by current management strategies, could start to emerge. Cognitive impairment and dementia could come into this category. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a 1.5-2.5-fold increased risk of dementia. The etiology of dementia and cognitive impairment in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus is probably multifactorial. Chronic hyperglycemia is implicated, perhaps by promoting the development of cerebral microvascular disease. Data suggest that the brains of older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus might be vulnerable to the effects of recurrent, severe hypoglycemia. Other possible moderators of cognitive function include inflammatory mediators, rheological factors and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Cognitive function should now be included as a standard end point in randomized trials of therapeutic interventions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Key findings
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a 1.5-2.5-fold increased risk of dementia.
- Data suggest that the brains of older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus might be vulnerable to the effects of recurrent, severe hypoglycemia.
Why it matters
This review reports that type 2 diabetes is associated with a 1.5- to 2.5-fold higher risk of dementia, and that the reasons are probably multiple, including chronic high blood sugar and possibly severe low blood sugar episodes. It recommends including cognitive function as an outcome in diabetes treatment trials, but reports no proven treatment, cure or prevention for dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 51 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 53 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Nature reviews. Endocrinology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Nature Reviews Endocrinology: journal h-index 265 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 404 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 23.8 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 12 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 65 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Cambridge: institution h-index 1,973 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21263438) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 51 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 51 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 53 out of 100. |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Strachan, M. W., Reynolds, R. M., Marioni, R. E., & Price, J. F. (2011). Cognitive function, dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the elderly. Nature reviews. Endocrinology. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.228
Vancouver
Strachan MW, Reynolds RM, Marioni RE, Price JF. Cognitive function, dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the elderly. Nature reviews. Endocrinology. 2011. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2010.228. PMID: 21263438.
BibTeX
@article{strachan2011-21263438,
author = {Strachan, M. W. and Reynolds, R. M. and Marioni, R. E. and Price, J. F.},
title = {{Cognitive function, dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the elderly}},
journal = {Nature reviews. Endocrinology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1038/nrendo.2010.228},
pmid = {21263438},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.228}
}
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