The use of insulin pump therapy in diabetes mellitus type 1 and its relation to cognitive performance, psychological well-being and brain MRI

Augustina M.A. Brands*, Roel P.L.M. Hoogma, Roy P.C. Kessels, Johanna M.L. Henselmans, Johanna W. Van Der Beek Boter, L. Jaap Kappelle, Edward H.F. De Haan, Geert Jan Biessels

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common metabolic disease. Although cognition in older patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1) appears to be only mildly disturbed compared to non-diabetic controls, it may be that specific subgroups of DM1 patients, such as those with worse metabolic control, have a higher risk for cognitive decline. Patients with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) differ from patients on a multiple daily injection (MDI) regime in several important metabolic parameters. The present observational study therefore aimed to compare cognition, psychological wellbeing and brain MRI between older patients with DM1 with and without CSII. Material and methods. For this project we enrolled 40 patients with DM1 (52-77 years, mean duration DM 34 years), of whom 19 were receiving CSII (mean duration: 6.5 ± 3.5 years) and 21 were on MDI. Neuropsychological assessment covered five major cognitive domains. Psychological well-being was assessed by the Symptom Checklist (SCL)-90-R and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Atrophy, white-matter abnormalities (WML) and infarcts were rated on MRI scans. Results. Patients with and without CSII did not differ on neuropsychological measures. Patients with CSII had significantly higher scores on the BDI-II and better MRI ratings on cortical atrophy measures, but not on the other MRI measures. Conclusions. CSII seems to be associated with better MRI ratings, without better cognitive performance. It could be worthwhile to compare CSII with other treatment regimes in a longitudinal randomized controlled trial.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)140-152
Number of pages13
JournalActa Neuropsychologica
Volume4
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2006

Keywords

  • Ageing
  • Atrophy
  • CSII
  • Depression
  • Hyperglycaemia
  • Neuropsychological assessment

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