Diabetes Mellitus is an increasingly common health problem. Today, people are living longer and more people are overweight or obese which increases the risk of developing diabetes. Diabetes is associated with many other diseases including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, blindness, nerve damage and kidney damage. As well as influencing physical health, diabetes can lead to – a loss in mental abilities which is more than the usual loss associated with age. This loss of mental ability is known as cognitive impairment and . it has been suggested that this impairment may be a step in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease, so clearly it is a significant concern for people with diabetes, their families and healthcare professionals. It is also suggested that diabetes may affect particular types of mental abilities. If we can identify which mental processes are affected by diabetes then we can design strategies which may prevent or delay this impairment and may improve the quality of life of people with diabetes. This is especially important given the ageing population who are living longer with conditions such as diabetes. The study will investigate how common cognitive impairment is among people aged 50 years and over with diabetes in Ireland and whether particular types of cognitive functioning are affected by diabetes. This study will look at the relationship between diabetes and cognitive impairment. Finally, the results will be used to map the potential, path by which diabetes may lead to the impairment of mental abilities.
