DOC News July 1, 2005
Volume 2 Number 7 p. 14
© 2005 American Diabetes Association
Diabetes, Depression, and Death
People with diabetes who suffer from depression have a much higher risk of
mortality than similar people without diabetes, according to a recent report
in the American Journal of
Epidemiology.
Researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Study (NHANES) and follow-up data to identify 558 people with
diabetes and 7,063 without the disease. Depressive symptoms of each group were
determined with a questionnaire.
The findings suggest that people with diabetes who struggle with depression
have a significantly greater risk of mortality than others. Those with the
highest depression scores had 54% more mortality within a 10-year follow-up
period than people with the lowest scores. The results held true after being
matched for socioeconomic factors, lifestyle, and health-status variables. No
relation was noted between depression and mortality among a nondiabetic
population.
The exact nature of the role of depression in mortality among people with
diabetes has yet to be determined. Aside from leading to a potentially
fruitful avenue of research, the findings demonstrate the importance of
observing subgroups, not just whole populations, when studying depression and
mortality.
Zhang X, Norris SL, Gregg EW, et al.: Depressive symptoms
and mortality among persons with and without diabetes. Am J
Epidemiol 161:652–660, 2005.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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