摘要

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus and dementia, two of the most common disorders in the elderly, are posing a tremendous burden on public health in the society. Moreover, the absolute number and the proportion of older people who are affected by diabetes, borderline diabetes and dementia are expected to further increase over the next few decades. The aim of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between type 2 diabetes and dementia by performing a meta-analysis of published cross-sectional and prospective studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Comprehensive literature search was performed and the extracted data was analyzed. RESULTS: Our findings highlight the need to detect borderline diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes in order to effectively prevent dementia, as previous studies have shown that prediabetes and diabetes could be improved by interventions addressed towards lifestyle changes and antidiabetic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: As far as clinical practice is concerned, it is important to bear in mind that prevention, timely diagnosis, and the optimum treatment of diabetes and borderline diabetes may help to reduce the occurrence of dementia.