Impact of Diabetes on Cognitive Functions: A Comparative Study of Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Individuals in Dakhla

¹ High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques, ISPITS-Dakhla, Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Morocco.
² High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques, ISPITS-Kénitra, Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Morocco.
³ Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
⁴ Ibn Zohr University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorization of Natural Resources, 8106, Agadir, Morocco

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Diabetes belongs to the chronic disease and is a progressive in nature causing an impact on many body organs including brain functions; such as cognition. It has become a common concern that hyperglycemia and metabolic dysregulation may have impactesd memory, attention, as well as executive function among diabetics. This work has as its objective to assess the effects of diabetes on cognitive function, by comparing performance in a domain of cognitive function between diabetics and non-diabetic subjects from the population of Dakhla. Authors used a combined qualitative and quantitative method. The study was carried out in Dakhla for three months with 100 subjects, over the age of 45 years (50 diabetic and 50 non-diabetic). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with sociodemographic and medical data, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive function. Findings show a marked cognitive deficit in persons with known DM, primarily in the areas of memory, attention and executive function. Diabetic participants had a statistically significantly lower MMSE mean score (24.4) as compared with non diabetic individuals (28.8), thus attesting the link between diabetes and cognitive decrease. ANOVA analysis revealed there were differences between groups. Additionally, negative correlation was found between the diabetes duration and MMSE score (r = −0.472; p < 0.001), as well as HbA1c levels and MMSE score (r = −0.440; p < 0.001), implying that poor glycemic control stimulates cognitive decline.