Glucose control and cognitive and physical function in adults 80+ years of age with diabetes

We modeled associations between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels (<7%, 7% to 8%, and >8%) and cognitive and physical function among adults 80+ years of age with diabetes and determined whether associations differ by frailty, multimorbidity, and disability.

A total of 316, adults with diabetes, 80+ years of age, were from the Adult Changes in Thought Study. The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument Item Response Theory (CASI-IRT) measured cognition. Short performance-based physical function (sPPF) and gait speed measured physical function. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were from clinical measurements. Analyses estimated associations between average HbA1c levels (<7%, 7% to 8%, and >8%) and functional outcomes using linear regressions estimated with generalized estimating equations.

sPPF scores did not differ significantly by HbA1c levels. Gait speed did, but only for non-frail individuals; those with HbA1c >8% were slower (-0.10 m/s [95% CI, -0.16 to -0.04]) compared to those with HbA1c 7% to 8%. The association between HbA1c and CASI-IRT varied with age (interaction P = 0.04). At age 80, for example, relative to people with HbA1c levels of 7% to 8%, CASI-IRT scores were, on average, 0.18 points lower (95% CI, -0.35 to -0.02) for people with HbA1c <7% and 0.22 points lower (95% CI, -0.40 to -0.05) for people with HbA1c >8%. At older ages, these estimated differences were attenuated. Estimated associations were not modified by multimorbidity or disability.

Moderate HbA1c levels of 7% to 8% were associated with better cognition in early but not late octogenarians with diabetes. Furthermore, HbA1c >8% was associated with slower gait speed among those without frailty. These results add to an evidence base for determining glucose targets for very old adults with diabetes.