A neurologist told how Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes are related

Neurologist Natalia Drozdovskaya, Head of the Department of Functional Diagnostics of the Minsk City Clinical Endocrinology Center, told on the air of the project “School of Diabetes” on the YouTube channel “SEE AND LIVE” how Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes are related.

Natalia Drozdovskaya explained that forgetfulness in diabetes is not a manifestation of Alzheimer's disease:

- Forgetfulness, distraction, decreased attention are obvious signs of overload of the nervous system. Most often, these are symptoms of chronic stress, not Alzheimer's disease. If a person develops this disease, then, as a rule, most of all it begins to bother relatives, and not the patient, because it is his behavior that changes in everyday life. And people notice it first.

At the same time, we should not forget that both these diseases - and diabetes mellitus, and Alzheimer's disease - are associated with common pathogenetic mechanisms that increase the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. We are talking, of course, about insulin resistance - a decrease in the sensitivity of cells to insulin, which disrupts the utilization of glucose in the brain. And hyperinsulinemia - an increased concentration of insulin in the blood, which can contribute to the accumulation of beta-amyloid - a protein associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.

- If you notice that you began to perceive information worse or forget some words, then you definitely need to go to the doctor, be further examined, identify risk factors and learn to cope with stress, Natalia Drozdovskaya emphasized.

Forgetfulness, distraction, and loss of attention are not symptoms of dementia. Most often it is a cry for the help of the nervous system, suffering from chronic stress and overload.

- Do not engage in self-diagnosis and self-medication, the neurologist warned. Only a doctor can determine the exact cause of forgetfulness and choose a safe and effective treatment. Timely access to medical care is the key to successful control of the condition and prevention of complications. The doctor answered the question, is it true that patients with diabetes mellitus most often require donor blood tyshkevich@sb.by