Loss of Skeletal muscle mass associated with cognitive decline in diabetes patients

Written By : Jacinthlyn Sylvia |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2022-09-21T20:30:05+05:30 | Updated On 21 Sept 2022 8:30 PM IST

Loss of Skeletal muscle mass was associated with cognitive decline in diabetes patients, according to a new study. Further the bio-impedance analysis (BIA) measure of muscle mass loss over time was independently linked to general cognitive deterioration as well as declines in memory and visuo-spatial/construction skills among thes patients.

The new study has been published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications.

Serena Low and colleagues looked at the long-term relationship between skeletal muscle mass (SMM) loss and cognitive deterioration in type 2 diabetes mellitus in this study.

With follow-up intervals ranging from 1.6 to 6.4 years, researchers conducted a prospective cohort analysis with 453 patients from the SMART2D cohort. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and the Bio-Impedance Analysis Skeletal Muscle Mass Index (SMI) assessments were used as baseline and follow-up measurements, respectively. Using linear regression and correcting for demographics, education, depression, clinical co-variables, and the existence of the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE) Ɛ4 allele, the relationship between yearly rate of SMI and RBANS scores was examined.

The key findings of this study were:

1. The group with a larger SMI drop (Tertile 3 SMI change) exhibited a 0.30 decline in RBANS total score (95%CI 0.57 to 0.03; p = 0.030) in the adjusted analysis compared to individuals with Tertile 1 SMI change.

2. The Tertile 3 SMI change group had lower RBANS scores for the immediate memory and visuo-spatial/construction subdomains, with corresponding coefficients of 0.54 (95%CI 1.01 to 0.06; p = 0.026) and 0.71 (95%CI 1.30 to 0.12; p = 0.019), respectively.

In conclusion, the loss of skeletal muscle mass should encourage the doctor to evaluate for associated memory and visuospatial impairment and discuss strategies to improve areas of self-care including blood glucose monitoring and medication adherence. A memory service integrated within a thorough, multidisciplinary diabetes treatment might track subjective or objective cognitive impairment.

Reference:

Low, S., Goh, K. S., Ng, T. P., Moh, A., Ang, S. F., Khoo, J., Ang, K., Yap, P., Cheong, C. Y., Tang, W. E., Lim, Z., Subramaniam, T., Sum, C. F., & Lim, S. C. (2022). Decline in skeletal muscle mass is associated with cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes mellitus. In Journal of Diabetes and its Complications (Vol. 36, Issue 9, p. 108258). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2022.108258

diabetes mellitusskeletal muscle masscognitive declineJournal of Diabetes and Its Complications

Source : Journal of Diabetes and its Complications

Jacinthlyn Sylvia

Neuroscience Masters graduate

Jacinthlyn Sylvia, a Neuroscience Master's graduate from Chennai has worked extensively in deciphering the neurobiology of cognition and motor control in aging. She also has spread-out exposure to Neurosurgery from her Bachelor’s. She is currently involved in active Neuro-Oncology research. She is an upcoming neuroscientist with a fiery passion for writing. Her news cover at Medical Dialogues feature recent discoveries and updates from the healthcare and biomedical research fields. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751