Background: The increase in diabetes among the elderly is of concern because in addition to the wide range of traditional diabetes complications, evidence has been growing that diabetes is associated with memory decline. Short‑term memory plays a very important role in daily activities.
Aims and Objectives: To find out the effect of glycemic control on short‑term memory in Type 2 diabetics.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in 150 individuals aged between 40 and 65 years consisting of 100 diagnosed cases of Type 2 diabetes mellitus who were further divided into Group I: Controlled diabetes with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels < 7% and Group II: Uncontrolled diabetes with HbA1C level > 7% compared with control group consisting of 50 non‑diabetics HbA1C < 6% from outpatient department of McGann Hospital, Shivamogga. Ryes auditory verbal learning test, verbal fluency test and Benton visual retention test to assess short‑term memory. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21.
Results: Uncontrolled diabetics showed a significantly reduced score compared to non‑diabetics and controlled diabetics (P < 0.001) and controlled diabetics showed a significantly (P < 0.001) reduced score compared to non‑diabetics for all the three memory tests used to assess short‑term memory.
Conclusion: The main hypothesis to explain the pathophysiology of decline in short‑term memory in Type 2 diabetes may be glucose dysregulation, accumulation of senile plaques, metabolic oxidation products associated with hyperglycemia, insufficient action or effect of insulin due to insufficient secretion, activity, or both.
Key words: Diabetes; Glycemic Control; Short‑term Memory
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