Cognitive Disorders, Depressive Status and Chronic Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Abstract Background and aims: Depression and cognitive disorders were reported more frequently in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Our aim was to analyze the association of cognitive disorders and depression association with chronic complications of DM in a group of Romanian patients. Materials and methods: The data was analyzed from 181 patients, with a mean age of 58,3 years to whom we applied the MMSE (Mini- Mental State Examination) and MADRS (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) questionnaires. We also analyzed the presence of chronic DM complications, HbA1c and lipid profile. Results: Most patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) had mild cognitive impairment (92%), more common in the age group 50-59 years. Chronic macrovascular complications were present in 74.58%, while chronic microvascular complications were present in 61.87% of patients with T2DM who associated mild and moderate cognitive impairment (p = 0.013). The most common form of depression was mild depression (90.2%), present in most patients with DM, regardless of progression and type of treatment. MADRS depression test scores were statistically significant correlated with the presence of peripheral artery disease - PAD (p <0.001), ischemic heart disease - IHD (p <0.001) and chronic kidney disease - CKD (p =0.05). We did not find a statistically significant correlation with HbA1c and serum lipid values (p˃0,05). Conclusion: Chronic diabetes macrovascular complications (PAD, IHD) and CKD were more frequently associated with cognitive disorders and depression in patients with T2DM independent of the degree of metabolic control.