Negative impact of depression on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients
Key points
- In this German prospective representative study of patients with type 2 diabetes, baseline depression predicted problems with medication adherence, problems with health-related behaviors, and unsatisfactory glycemic control at follow-up.
- Findings regarding the degree to which depression may exert a negative impact on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes are inconsistent.
- In a prospective component of a nationally representative sample, 866 patients with type 2 diabetes aged ≥18 years completed a standardized assessment including a laboratory screening, questionnaires, and diagnostic measures.
- Subsequent to baseline (t0), patients were tracked over a period of 12 months (t1).
In this German prospective representative study of patients with type 2 diabetes, baseline depression predicted problems with medication adherence, problems with health-related behaviors, and unsatisfactory glycemic control at follow-up.
Findings regarding the degree to which depression may exert a negative impact on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes are inconsistent. A group of German investigators therefore aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between depression, behavioral factors, and glycemic control.
In a prospective component of a nationally representative sample, 866 patients with type 2 diabetes aged ≥18 years completed a standardized assessment including a laboratory screening, questionnaires, and diagnostic measures.
Subsequent to baseline (t0), patients were tracked over a period of 12 months (t1). Depression was assessed according to DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria. Glycemic control was determined by levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c); a level of ≥7% was judged as unsatisfactory.
Regression analyses were performed to analyze the prospective relationship between depression, medication adherence, diabetes-related health behavior, and HbA1c. Patients with depression at t0 revealed increased rates of medication nonadherence (adjusted OR: 2.67; CI: 1.38-5.15) at t1. Depression (adjusted regression coefficient: β = 0.96; p = 0.001) and subthreshold depression (β = 1.01; p < 0.001) at t0 also predicted increased problems with diabetes-related health behavior at t1. Adjusted ORs for poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥7%) at t1 were also increased for patients with baseline depression (2.01; CI: 1.10-3.69).
However, problems with medication adherence as well as problems with diabetes-related health behavior at t0 did not predict poor glycemic control at t1. In a prospective representative study of patients with type 2 diabetes, baseline depression predicted problems with medication adherence, problems with health-related behaviors, and unsatisfactory glycemic control at follow-up.
SOURCE alphagalileo.org
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
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