Poor glycaemic control leads to premature ageing in people with type 1 diabetes, with cognitive deficits apparent by the age of 60, according to findings from a longitudinal study.

Researchers have found high HbA1c, hypertension and a history of repeated severe hypoglycaemic events are associated with decrements in psychomotor and mental capacity in a dose-response manner.

Patients who self-reported more than five severe episodes of hypoglycaemia leading to coma over the course of the study performed significantly worse than those with fewer events.

The US-based researchers tested memory and cognition among participants in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its extension study, the Diabetes Interventions and Complications study (EDIC) in 2019, at a median of 32 years after enrolment, when participants had a median age of 59 years.