| Objective To investigate the relationship between serum osteocalcin level and cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to provide evidence for early diagnosis and early intervention in elderly patients with T2DM and cognitive impairment. Methods A total of 98 patients who were admitted to Anhui Provincial Hospital from June 2017 to June 2018 were enrolled, including 45 patients with type 2 diabetes and 53 patients with normal control. The serum osteocalcin level and general biochemical indicators as well as cognitive function scores were compared between the two groups, and relevant factors affecting cognitive function were also analyzed. Finally, we also analyzed the relationship between osteocalcin and cognitive function. Results Serum osteocalcin level in elderly T2DM patients was lower than that in the control group (P<0.01), and the cognitive function score was lower than that in the control group (P=0.025), while the HOMA-IR(homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance) was higher than that in the control group (P=0.041). In elderly patients with T2DM, MMSE score was positively correlated with serum osteocalcin level (r=0.364, P=0.014), while it was negatively correlated with the HOMA-IR (r=–0.426, P=0.004). There was a negative correlation between serum osteocalcin level and memory, attention and calculative ability, as well as executive ability in the score, respectively. In addition, serum osteocalcin level was negatively correlated with the clock drawing test (CDT), as well as independently correlated with MMSE score(P＜0.05). Conclusions Cognitive impairment in elderly T2DM patients may be associated with serum osteocalcin level. |