Abstract: To study the changes of memory ability of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and provide basic information of nursing measures. Method： Fiftyone patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 30 normal control subjects accepted the Clinical Memory Test. Results： Both the Clinical Memory Test performance on MQ and the subtests were lower in the diabetic group than those in the normal controls (P＜0.05～0.001). Conclusion： Memory is significantly descended in patients with type 2 diabetes. The association ability in the diabetic group approaches the normal controls, and the learning ability significantly deteriorates.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus, noninsulin dependent, Memory ability, Cognitive function2