Diabetes and AD pathology: the role of imaging technique!

It is always a controversial issue that if there is any relation with diabetes and Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology. Some studies found that diabetes is a cause of cerebral infarction, but not with AD pathology. However, the diabetic people who suffer from cerebral infarction, they might develop low cognitive function eventually, categorized into dementia like diseases. Then, diabetes might be an indirect predisposing factor to grow dementia-like disease such as AD in the elderly population. In this perspective, the elderly people those who suffer from diabetes with dementia like symptoms, should be advised to take imaging scan for evaluation of brain function. There are some imaging techniques for this evaluation – until now, MRI scanning method is useful. Among nuclear medicine techniques, SPECT scanning method has also been useful. Specific radiotracer is still on the way of development for PET scanning method; however, 18FDG-PET has been used commercially worldwide. 18FDG-PET scanning method can be useful to evaluate AD pathology in the brain – both functional and anatomical.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage – a silent killer!

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SA) is a devastating clinical phenomenon mostly commenced at the middle age (30 to 40 year). It is acknowledged that cerebral artery aneurism (dilated vessel) is a fatal procedure on this issue to initiate bleeding inside the brain from ruptured artery. Until now, the cause is unknown – demonstrating that high blood pressure, diabetes are responsible for this disease procedure; however, some studies suggest that SA is not related with these diseases. Genetic disorder can be mentioned on this issue. Closed head injury is also another precipitating cause of cerebral artery aneurism. The worst is this, the dilatation of artery has no clinical feature that after vessel-rupture, the patient feels mild headache. Now, it is obligatory to abstain from this disease procedure – imaging screening should be an ideal method. In another, from the middle decade of life, regular monitoring of blood pressure relating with imaging scanning method might be suggested, when any predisposing symptom is noticed. CT scan of head is one option.