Depression and Severe Dysglycemia Associated Bidirectionally in T1D

HealthDay News — For patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), there is a bidirectional association between depression and severe hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, according to a study published online in Diabetes Care.

Paola Gilsanz, ScD, from Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., and colleagues examined the bidirectional associations between depression and severe dysglycemia among 3742 patients with T1D using data from emergency room visits or hospitalizations from 1996 to 2015.

The researchers found that 41% of participants had depression and there were 376 (11%) and 641 (20%) cases of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, respectively, during the study period. Depression was strongly associated with increased risk of severe hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic events (hazard ratios, 2.47 and 1.89, respectively) in fully adjusted models.

Within the first 6 months (hazard ratio_{hyperglycemia}, 7.14; hazard ratio_hypoglycemia, 5.58) to 1 year (hazard ratio_{hyperglycemia}, 5.16; hazard ratio_hypoglycemia, 4.05) after depression diagnosis, the correlation was strongest. Hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic events were correlated with increased risk of depression (hazard ratios, 2.43 and 1.74, respectively) in fully adjusted models specifying severe dysglycemia as the exposure.

“Depression and severe dysglycemia are associated bidirectionally among patients with T1D,” the authors write.

Reference

Gilsanz P, Karter AJ, Beeri MS, Quesenberry JR CP, Whitmer RA. The bidrectional association between depression and severe hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic events in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2017; dc171566.