{
  "abstract": "Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a recognized microvascular complication of diabetes in which neurovascular and neurodegenerative mechanisms may also contribute. This systematic review evaluated the association between DR and cognitive impairment or dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, using evidence from cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies.\n\nMethods: We searched for relevant articles up to December 2025 from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers extracted data from the selected studies, including baseline information and outcomes. All quantitative syntheses were conducted using R version 4.4.1.\n\nResults: Fourteen studies with reported study populations totaling 2,871,847 participants were included. Seven studies contributed to the crude dichotomous synthesis, which did not demonstrate a statistically significant association between diabetic retinopathy and cognitive impairment or dementia (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.94–1.23; p=0.310; I ² =52.3%). Seven studies contributed adjusted longitudinal estimates for incident dementia; diabetic retinopathy was associated with a higher incidence of dementia (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19–2.02; p=0.001; I ² =97.8%; 95% prediction interval 0.65–3.68). Evidence concerning Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia remained inconsistent.\n\nConclusion: Longitudinal evidence suggests that diabetic retinopathy is associated with a higher incidence of dementia, although substantial heterogeneity and the observational evidence base limit confidence in the pooled estimate. Evidence concerning Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia remains inconclusive.\n\nSystematic review registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YS462 , identifier YS462.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Medicine, Alfaisal University",
    "Ophthalmology Department, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Fahad Hospital of The University",
    "College of Medicine, King Saud University",
    "Taif Armed Forces Hospital",
    "College of Medicine, University of Sharjah",
    "College of Medicine, Jouf University",
    "Al-Namas General Hospital",
    "Department of Neurology, Security Forces Hospital",
    "Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization",
    "Faculty of Medicine, Hail University",
    "College of Medicine, Taif University",
    "Alhada Armed Forces Hospital"
  ],
  "article_type": "systematic review",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Omar Subih"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wejdan Abdullah Al Mustafa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Tareq Ahmed AlOmem"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Abdulaziz Mohammed Alrasheed"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Maha Saeed Altunaiji"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Aryam Abdullah Mubarak Alhasan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Abdulaziz Ibrahim Atef Alshehri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Bader Muzhier Alshahrani"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Ruwaym Jaber Mohammed Alharbi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Ahmad Moahmmad Alshatti"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Manar Eid Al Mutairi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10
      ],
      "name": "Samar Mussari Alkhaldi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Inam N. Bifari"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/385z28s7peaxq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fendo.2026.1881602",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13716637/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "385z28s7peaxq",
  "issns": [
    "1664-2392"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2026.1881602/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Systematic Review"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2738|Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7153779910",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2026.1881602/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13716637",
  "pmid": "42959148",
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/385z28s7peaxq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:20Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fendo.2026.1881602",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2026.1881602/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:37Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13716637",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716637"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:52Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42959148",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959148"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:23:53Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13716637",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2026.1881602"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2738|Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The association between diabetic retinopathy and cognitive impairment in patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "title_text": "The association between diabetic retinopathy and cognitive impairment in patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:21:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/385z28s7peaxq",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Endocrinology",
  "versions": []
}