Among individuals with type 2 diabetes, country-standardized cognitive score may predict risk for cardiovascular events
TUESDAY, April 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with type 2 diabetes, subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) is associated with cardiovascular events, according to a study published online April 21 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Tali Cukierman-Yaffe, M.D., from Sheba Medical Center in Ramat-Gan, Israel, and colleagues examined whether low cognitive scores are risk factors for cardiovascular outcomes in 8,772 participants with type 2 diabetes in the Researching Cardiovascular Events with a Weekly Incretin in Diabetes trial who completed both the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Digit Substitution Test (DSST) at baseline. A baseline score on either the MoCA or DSST ≥1.5 standard deviations below either score’s country-specific mean (SCI-GM) was used to identify participants with baseline SCI, and the associations with incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and either stroke or death were examined.
The researchers found that the 10.3 percent of participants with baseline SCI had a higher incidence of MACE and stroke or death compared with the 89.7 percent of participants who were unaffected (unadjusted hazard ratios, 1.34 and 1.60, respectively).The associations were stronger for SCI-GM with MACE and stroke or death (unadjusted hazard ratios, 1.61 and 1.85, respectively). These relationships remained significant for SCI-GM, but not for SCI, in models that adjusted for up to 10 SCI risk factors.
“Although the explanation for this remains unclear, proven heart medications should be offered to these patients to reduce their future risk of a heart attack or stroke,” a coauthor said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which funded the Researching Cardiovascular Events with a Weekly Incretin in Diabetes trial.
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