Background: It has been an established fact that diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with lower levels of cognitive function and may be a risk factor for the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Most of these studies involved elderly diabetes patients and aging itself may contribute to cognitive impairment. Since a majority of the individuals with DM are between the ages of 40 and 59 years, it is crucial to determine the factors that contribute to cognitive impairment in these patients. So this study was done to correlate the various physical and metabolic parameters with MCI in young individuals with type 1 DM.
Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 126 patients with type 1 DM underwent cognitive assessment by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test and their cognitive levels were correlated with their HbA1c, lipid profile, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).
Results: The prevalence of MCI was 71.42%. MCI was significantly correlated with HbA1c, serum triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, and hs-CRP levels. The factors that were statistically insignificant were the duration of diabetes, body mass index, and high-density lipoprotein levels.
Conclusion: Cognitive impairment is seen even in type 1 DM patients. It should be considered along with the other complications of DM.
Keywords: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein; mild cognitive impairment; montreal cognitive assessment; type 1 diabetes mellitus.