Simple Urine Test May
Help Identify Individuals with Diabetes at Risk for Cognitive Decline
Diabetics
with persistent protein in the urine over four to five years had greater
declines in cognitive function than diabetics without protein in the urine. The
decline was subtle; however, over 10 to 15 years it could translate into
noticeable impairment.
The
presence of protein in the urine may be a marker of risk for future cognitive
decline in patients with type 2 diabetes and normal kidney function, according
to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of
the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The finding suggests that
urinary protein may be an early warning sign regarding patients' cognitive
abilities.
The
researchers studied 2977 diabetics with an average age of 62 years. Patients
were recruited between August 2003 and December 2005 and were followed until
June 2009. Participants underwent three neuropsychological tests: at the start
of the study and again at 20 and 40 months. Tests included information
processing speed, verbal memory, and executive function.
People
with persistent albuminuria over four to five years had greater percent
declines on information processing speed than participants without albuminuria.
Persistent and progressive albuminuria were linked with a greater than 5%
decline in information processing speed scores but not with verbal memory or
executive function performance.
"Our
finding was a subtle change in cognition; however, were this decline to
continue over 10 to 15 years it could translate into noticeable cognitive
decline by the age of 75 to 80 years, when cognitive impairment generally
becomes clinically evident," said Dr. Barzilay. "Given how common
albuminuria and diabetes are in the older population, these findings have a
great deal of importance from a population point of view. Moreover, albuminuria
is also common among older people with hypertension without diabetes."
Study
co-authors include James Lovato, MS, Anne Murray, MD, MS, Jeff Williamson, MD,
Faramaz Ismail-Beigi, MD, PhD, Diane Karl, MD, and Vasilios Papademetriou, MD.
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials provided by American Society of Nephrology (ASN),
via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1.
J. I. Barzilay, J. F.
Lovato, A. M. Murray, J. Williamson, F. Ismail-Beigi, D. Karl, V.
Papademetriou, L. J. Launer.Albuminuria and Cognitive Decline in People with
Diabetes and Normal Renal Function. Clinical Journal of the
American Society of Nephrology, 2013; DOI:10.2215/CJN.11321112
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American Society of Nephrology (ASN) (2013, August 29). Simple
urine test may help identify individuals with diabetes at risk for cognitive
decline. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 30, 2013, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130829214253.htm