Which disease frequently causes changes in the patient's mental status due to alterations in blood glucose levels?

The disease that frequently causes changes in a patient's mental status due to alterations in blood glucose levels is diabetes mellitus. This condition encompasses a range of disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Patients with diabetes can experience fluctuations in their blood glucose levels, which can lead to episodes of both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

When blood sugar levels are consistently poorly managed, patients may encounter cognitive symptoms such as confusion, disorientation, or even loss of consciousness. These changes in mental status are directly related to the brain's reliance on glucose as its primary energy source. Insufficient glucose can impair neuronal function and synaptic transmission, leading to altered mental states.

While hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome primarily occurs as a complication of diabetes, and both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are symptoms that can arise in patients with diabetes, it is the overarching disease—diabetes mellitus—that gives rise to the potential for these critical shifts in blood glucose and, consequently, mental status changes.