Diabetes, Dementia Can Be Deadly Combination

A study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes warns seniors with both diabetes and dementia are at a much higher risk of dying from seriously low blood sugar than diabetics alone, reports HealthDay News . The researchers analyzed data from some 20,000 men and women aged 65 and older with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were monitored for up to five years after their first recorded low blood sugar episode. Individuals with both diabetes and dementia had a 67 percent higher risk of death from hypoglycemia compared to those with diabetes alone. "Hypoglycemia is an under-recognized risk factor for death in older adults with diabetes and dementia," notes the Norwich Medical School's Katharina Mattishent. "In this vulnerable group, clinicians and patients should move away from relentless pursuit of strict glucose-lowering targets. The focus must be directed at rigorous detection of hypoglycemia using continuous glucose monitoring devices."