Glucose Targets and Functional Decline in 80 Years Old and Older with Type 2 Diabetes

In the U.S. persons over the age of 80 years, or octogenarians, are now the fastest growing portion of the total population. Along with this continuous rise, there is a significant burden of diabetes in this population. We propose to examine the relationship between glucose levels and rates of physical and cognitive decline in the octogenarians with diabetes participating in a large cohort of the NIA-funded Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, a community-based long-term prospective study of aging. The proposed study provides an extraordinary opportunity to develop new insights into the longitudinal association between glucose levels and functional health in the very old with diabetes. Findings from the proposed study will advance our understanding of the role of glycemic control on cognitive and functional ability in an understudied aged population and will provide preliminary data for developing strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of over or under treatment.