Income level and the risk of incident dementia among adults aged >=50 with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study using the NHIS-Senior database in South Korea

06 Jul 20266 min read0 viewsJournal Feed

GIST (Key Takeaways)

Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a well-established independent risk factor for dementia and is associated with dementia pathophysiology; however, the role of income level remains uninvestigated in this patient population. The aim of this study was to examine the association between income level and incident dementia risk among adults aged ≥50 years with newly diagnosed T2DM.
Research design and methods We conducted a retrospective population-based assessment of Korean National Health Insurance Service - Senior Cohort (2002 - 2019) data. Individuals aged ≥50 years with a new primary or secondary diagnosis of T2DM from 2004 onward were included.
Sex and income level were assessed. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine differences in dementia risk across income levels and assess whether associations between income levels and dementia risk varied by dementia subtype.
Results Among women with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, those in the low-income group showed a significantly higher risk of incident dementia compared with the high-income group (deciles 9 - 10) (HR=1.19, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.28).

Clinical Editorial

BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 06 Jul 2026.

The item focuses on Income level and the risk of incident dementia among adults aged >=50 with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study using the NHIS-Senior database in South Korea.

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