Type 1 diabetics have an almost-doubled chance of developing dementia later in life, a new study shows.

University of North Carolina researchers analyzed more than 490,000 patient records and found an 83 percent higher risk of dementia for those with Type 1 diabetes.

The study included both men and women with an average age of 71. The cause of the increased risk is not known, but the findings mirror other research showing that Type 2 diabetes and poor blood glucose control in general is a risk factor for stroke and dementia.

Type 1, also called juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease unrelated to lifestyle factors such as obesity. It is much less common than Type 2 diabetes, also called adult-onset diabetes, which is linked to weight and other fitness factors.

People with Type 1 diabetes comprise about five percent of the entire diabetic population.

People with both forms of diabetes are at increased dementia risk, but this is the first study in which Type 1 patients had studied separately, the researchers noted.