Mol Med. 2026 Mar 28. doi: 10.1186/s10020-026-01453-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The global prevalence of dementia has increased substantially in recent decades, with elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) being identified as a potential modifiable risk factor in prior exploratory studies. This study assessed temporal trends in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias attributable to elevated FPG between 1990 and 2021 at global, regional, and national levels, using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study.
METHODS: Data from the GBD 2021 study were used to examine temporal trends in the burden of AD and other dementias attributable to elevated FPG, including age-standardized mortality rates and years lived with disability (YLDs). Analyses were stratified by age, sex, and sociodemographic index (SDI) to explore differential patterns across populations.
RESULTS: Between 1990 and 2021, the global age-standardized mortality rate and YLDs for AD and other dementias attributable to elevated FPG increased by 1.1% and 1.2% per year, respectively. Additionally, the age-standardized rates of dementia burden attributable to elevated FPG showed a numerically greater average annual increase in females compared with males, with no formal statistical comparisons conducted between sexes, while dementia-related mortality and disability rates per 100,000 population rose progressively with advancing age. Although countries with higher SDI scores demonstrated a slower increase in burden, this association did not reach statistical significance.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the growing global impact of dementia associated with elevated FPG at the population level. While these observational trends require confirmation through longitudinal studies, they underscore the importance of prioritizing metabolic risk factors in public health strategies to address the potential future burden of dementia.
PMID:41904381 | DOI:10.1186/s10020-026-01453-0
