An overview of cognitive dysfunction and diabetes mellitus in elderly

The extent to which diabetes is responsible for cognitive dysfunction in older adults continues to be investigated. Diabetes mellitus may be associated with an increased incidence of cognitive impairment which is likely to further erode health and nutritional status of elderly individuals. This review will serve as data on examining the influence of diabetes mellitus on cognition in elderly people as compared to non diabetic older adults. It points out to the urgency of improving detection and diagnosis of cognitive functions in diabetic elderly individuals to reduce the onset of further disabilities. This paper emphasizes on the nature of cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus and interaction of diabetes mellitus with cognitive abilities. It can serve as an evaluative resource to guide clinicians as well as health researchers to choose among the wide range of screening tools which are currently available.