The Effect of Undiagnosed Diabetes on the Association Between Self-Reported Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment Among Older Mexican Adults.
To study the effect of undiagnosed diabetes on the relationship between self-reported diabetes and cognitive impairment.



Data were from 1033 participants aged ≥60 from Wave III (2012) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study. Participants were classified as nondiabetic (n = 589), undiagnosed diabetic (n = 201), and self-reported diabetic (n = 243). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationship between self-reported diabetes and severity of cognitive impairment (nonimpaired, moderate impaired, severe impaired).



Self-reported diabetes was associated with significantly higher odds for severe, but not moderate, cognitive impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.39-5.32). The association between self-reported diabetes and severe cognitive impairment decreased by 6.3% when undiagnosed diabetics were included in the nondiabetic category and by 30.4% when undiagnosed diabetics were included in the self-reported diabetes category.



The association between self-reported diabetes and severe cognitive impairment is underestimated when undiagnosed diabetics are not differentiated from self-reported diabetics and nondiabetics.
Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA brdowner@utmb.edu.
Brian
B
Downer
Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Amit
A
Kumar
Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Hemalkumar
H
Mehta
Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Soham
S
Al Snih
Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, TX, USA.
Rebeca
R
Wong
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
Mexico; cognition; dementia; diabetes; older adults