Diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive examination algorithm, to determine important diagnostic features that predict the development of different severity of cognitive impairment (CI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 81 patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease and DM2. They were divided into 3 groups: 1) 34 patients with mild CI and Stage I diabetic encephalopathy (DE) (a study group); 2) 23 patients with moderate CI and Stage II DE (a study group); 3) 24 patients without CI (a control group). Clinical, anamnestic, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological data were investigated in the study groups of patients with Stages I and II DE. The severity of CI was defined according to the neuropsychological testing data. Results. The total load with the diagnostic signs characteristic of DE increased in the group of Stage II DE patients with moderate CI, which is confirmed by statistical data. The severity of CI in patients with DM2 increased with the concurrence of the duration of DM2, a patients age, and the atrophic signs of brain substance, the presence of postischemic cysts, and stenotic lesions of the brachiocephalic arteries.