Does the Choice of Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus Change Natural Course of Alzheimer Disease?

Emina Karahmet, Besim Prnjavor

Abstract

Alzheimer disease (AD) is common worldwide and almost every case has comorbidities. One of the most common comorbidities of AD is Diabetes mellitus (DM), with or without metabolic syndrome. Both diseases effect nerve tissue and successful treatment would improve the status of the patient. In patients with Alzheimer disease treatment of DM, the treatment could be harmful to the AD, because of that high insulin intake. This may lead to progression of AD. Insulin is considered the best treatment for DM, but insulin therapy could increase comorbidity with AD. No specific therapy for AD is known up to date, so because of that DM is one of the most important risk for AD, concomitant therapy for DM should be planned very carefully. All options of DM therapy should be considered, and different mechanisms of anti-diabetic drugs are preferable. Treatment of AD is more complex metabolic syndrome is present. Any inflammation causes local tissue damage, including brain tissue during AD. Release of interleukins, primarily TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β in the presence of adipokine leptin, maintains chronic inflammatory status in local brain tissue. Thus, low doses of immunosuppressant therapy should be considered for treatment of AD in future. To delay apoptosis of nerve tissue cells, brain and nerve tissue defend against free oxygen radicals and improve metabolic status.

Relevant Publications in Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism