2023-10-11 05:45:43
(Mainstream media reporter Wu Minci/Tainan report) Hong Weibin, a physician at the Department of Neurology and Dementia Center of National Cheng Kung University Hospital, pointed out that diabetes is also a risk factor for dementia. Regardless of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, dementia in diabetes cases The disease incidence rate will increase.
According to animal experiments, the brains of diabetic mice will develop resistance to insulin due to brain cells, which will then lead to hyperinsulinemia and accelerate the accumulation of amyloid proteins. The accumulation of amyloid proteins in brain nerve cells will accelerate cell death. Produce symptoms of dementia.
Zhang, a 75-year-old man who has suffered from diabetes for five years, thinks he is still in good health, but has not actively controlled the disease and has no dietary restrictions. Later, his family members discovered that his cognitive function had declined and his memory had deteriorated. He often might not remember things he had just been reminded of, his reaction speed was also slow, and he was at risk of falling while walking, so he sought medical treatment.
National Cheng Kung University physician Hong Weibin said that the physical examination revealed that Mr. Zhang became taciturn, had pigmentation on his limbs, decreased tendon reflexes in his limbs, and had an unsteady gait. The brain test showed poor performance in short-term memory, concentration, abstract thinking, and language fluency. Poor peers.
A blood draw revealed that the glycated hemoglobin level was 10%. A head angiogram showed that in addition to atrophy of the cerebral gyri and hippocampus, there were also obvious deep white matter lesions. Because the case had progressive cognitive function decline and slowed down reaction speed, resulting in the inability to take care of oneself in daily life, the patient was diagnosed with dementia.
In response to Mr. Zhang’s disease, the hospital adopted a two-pronged approach. In addition to starting to control Mr. Zhang’s diabetes, it also used drug treatment and non-drug intervention in dementia. Although cognitive function and gait have been partially improved, Dr. Hong Weibin also said , the patient never returned to his pre-illness state.
According to the 2019 Taiwan Diabetes Yearbook, there are regarding 160,000 new cases of diabetes every year, the vast majority of which are type 2 diabetes. In 2022, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the top ten causes of death in the country, with diabetes ranking sixth, with 12,289 deaths and a mortality rate of 7.3%.
Dr. Hong Weibin said that diabetes will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, destroy the blood vessel barriers in the brain, and cause damage to nerve cells. Too high insulin resistance will also cause too much insulin in the body, making the chemical substances in the body prone to imbalance. Blood sugar that is too high can trigger an inflammatory response.
People with diabetes have smaller hippocampus, which is involved in short-term memory. These factors will slow down the brain’s metabolism of blood sugar, causing amyloid protein to deposit in the nerve cells of the brain, causing nerve cell death, leading to cognitive function degradation and subsequent dementia symptoms. Good blood sugar control can help slow brain degeneration and even improve cognitive function.
To prevent dementia, in addition to exercising more, using your mind more, and having more social interactions, Dr. Hong Weibin reminds you that if you have diabetes, you must actively control it early to maintain stable blood sugar and reduce fluctuations. This will not only reduce complications from large and small blood vessels in the future. , can also reduce the chance of developing dementia.
The American Heart Association also recommends that daily lifestyle adjustments include: controlling blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, controlling blood sugar, exercising daily, eating a healthy and low-fat diet, maintaining an appropriate weight, quitting smoking, etc. Early control has the best effect, but if nerve damage has already been caused, the recovery effect will be limited. Maintain stable blood sugar to maintain brain health.
Hong Weibin, a physician at the Department of Neurology and Dementia Center of National Cheng Kung University Hospital.
1697019142
#Diabetes #risk #factor #dementiaIf #nerve #damage #caused #recovery #effect #limited #Mainstream #media
