Time is of the essence in depressed diabetes patients

Among patients with diabetes and comorbid depression, the time point at which they developed depression may have important implications for their clinical management, say researchers.

Presenting at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 48th Annual Meeting in Berlin, Germany, Wendy Davis from the University of Western Australia in Fremantle told medwireNews that, for individuals who developed depression before they were diagnosed with diabetes, the therapeutic focus should probably be on preventing disease progression and comorbidity.

In those with depression that developed after diabetes diagnosis, palliation and improving quality of life is important. However, "if they are resistant to antidepressant use, then perhaps we can help other areas of their illness or illnesses."

The study of 1384 individuals with Type 2 diabetes who completed a validated patient health questionnaire showed that 21% had developed depression at least 2 years prior to being diagnosed with diabetes, while 15% developed it at least 2 years after diagnosis.

Interestingly, over 41% of the post-diabetes depression group were currently depressed compared with 19% in the prediabetes group.

Those with post-diabetes depression were significantly more likely to have a glycated hemoglobin level of less than 7% compared with those who had prediabetes depression or no depression, at 52% versus 40% and 39%,respectively.

They were also significantly more likely to have retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral artery disease, and self reported myocardial infarction or angina.

The researchers found that 77% of individuals from the prediabetes depression group were currently taking antidepressant medication, compared with only 52% in the post-diabetes depression group, a significant between-group difference.

Furthermore, 70% of those with prediabetes depression had "controlled depression," defined as no symptoms of depression on taking antidepressant medication, while this effect was only evident in 42% of those with post-diabetes depression who were on medication.

"These patients appear to be relatively resistant to antidepressive therapy, suggesting a distinct underlying pathology," said Davis.

The temporal relationship between depression and diabetes may have important implications for clinical management, she concluded.

Licensed from medwireNews with permission from Springer Healthcare Ltd. ©Springer Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved. Neither of these parties endorse or recommend any commercial products, services, or equipment.

Sally Robertson

Written by

Sally Robertson

Sally first developed an interest in medical communications when she took on the role of Journal Development Editor for BioMed Central (BMC), after having graduated with a degree in biomedical science from Greenwich University.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Robertson, Sally. (2018, August 23). Time is of the essence in depressed diabetes patients. News-Medical. Retrieved on November 28, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20121005/Time-is-of-the-essence-in-depressed-diabetes-patients.aspx.

  • MLA

    Robertson, Sally. "Time is of the essence in depressed diabetes patients". News-Medical. 28 November 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/news/20121005/Time-is-of-the-essence-in-depressed-diabetes-patients.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Robertson, Sally. "Time is of the essence in depressed diabetes patients". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20121005/Time-is-of-the-essence-in-depressed-diabetes-patients.aspx. (accessed November 28, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Robertson, Sally. 2018. Time is of the essence in depressed diabetes patients. News-Medical, viewed 28 November 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/news/20121005/Time-is-of-the-essence-in-depressed-diabetes-patients.aspx.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Study unlocks the secrets of beta cell regeneration