Researchers at the University of Washington and Group Health Research Institute have found that patients with diabetes who are also depressed had similar levels of glycemia, blood pressure and lipid control compared with counterparts without depression.
Patients with diabetes who also suffer from depression are known to have adverse cardiovascular outcomes and a risk of death that is higher than counterparts who do not suffer from depression. Physician researchers thought that these outcomes might occur because depressed patients found it difficult to maintain good diabetes self-care, namely taking medications, checking blood glucose, monitoring blood pressure, exercising and eating the right foods.
The study results are somewhat surprising, said lead author Dr. Susan Heckbert, UW professor of epidemiology and affiliate investigator at Group Health Research Institute.
"We were expecting that depression might well be associated with patients having difficulty with taking medications consistently, exercising, and eating right, and that this might affect risk factor control," said Heckbert. "Patients tell us that when they are depressed, they sometimes have more difficulty maintaining consistent diabetes self-care."
Heckbert said that more research is needed to understand why depression in patients with diabetes is associated with less favorable cardiovascular outcomes and higher death rates.
Results from the study are published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
