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Published on: April 26, 2024
Unrecognized glucose intolerance is not associated with depression. Screening for Impaired Glucose Tolerance study 3
M K Rhee1, D Musselman, D C Ziemer
1Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. mrhee@emory.edu
Aims:
To understand the metabolic and temporal links in the relationship between diabetes and depression, we determined the association between depressive symptoms and unrecognized glucose intolerance.
Methods:
In a cross-sectional study, 1047 subjects without known diabetes were screened for diabetes or pre-diabetes using the oral glucose tolerance test and for depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).
Results:
Mean age was 48 years, body mass index 30 kg/m(2); 63% were female, 54% black, 11% previously treated for depression and 10% currently treated; 5% had diabetes and 34% pre-diabetes. Median PHQ score was 2 (interquartile range 0-5). Depressive symptoms did not increase with worsening glucose tolerance, after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, family history, exercise, education and depression treatment.
Conclusions:
There is no association between depressive symptoms and unrecognized glucose intolerance. However, it remains possible that diagnosed diabetes, with its attendant health concerns, management issues, and/or biological changes, may be a risk for subsequent development of depression. Thus, patients with newly diagnosed diabetes should be counselled appropriately and monitored for the development of depression.
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