Hypoglycemia linked to dementia
Severe low blood sugar episodes might heighten risk in later years
By Nathan Seppa
A single episode of low blood sugar severe enough to require prompt medical attention increases a person’s risk of developing dementia in old age, a study in people with diabetes suggests. More than one bout of hypoglycemia seems to heighten the risk even further, researchers report in the April 15 Journal of the American Medical Association.
While chronically high blood sugar is known to increase the risk of dementia and other health problems, less is understood about the long-term effects of periodic low blood sugar, says study coauthor Rachel Whitmer, an epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, in Oakland, Calif.
She and her colleagues analyzed medical records from a Kaiser Permanente registry dating from 1980 to 2002 and identified nearly 17,000 people who had type 2 diabetes but no signs of dementia, mild cognitive impairment or even memory complaints during the time span. The people averaged 65 years of age as of 1994.
The scientists noted any low blood sugar episodes that required a trip to a hospital or other emergency facility. For such treatment, Whitmer says, a patient would have gone beyond just being shaky and weak, as happens with mildly low blood sugar. “These were events where patients may have fainted or passed out or may have been unable to communicate with others — and were brought in,” she says.