Association between prediabetes and depression: A meta-analysis

Previous studies evaluating the association between prediabetes and depression have shown inconsistent results. Consequently, the aim of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate whether prediabetes is associated with depression in the general population.

Relevant observational studies were obtained by searching the Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases. A random-effects model was utilized to pool the results by incorporating the influence of heterogeneity. Multiple subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of the study characteristics on the outcome.

Sixteen large-scale cross-sectional studies involving 322,863 participants were included. Among the total participants, 82,154 (25.4%) had prediabetes. The pooled results showed that prediabetes was associated with a higher prevalence of depression in this population (odds ratio [OR]: 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05 to 1.28, p = 0.003; I2 = 58%). Subgroup analysis showed a stronger association between prediabetes and depression in younger subjects (<50 years old, OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.50) than that in older subjects (≥50 years old, OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.10; p for subgroup difference = 0.03). Other study characteristics, such as the study country, sex of the participants, definition of prediabetes, methods for the detection of depression, and study quality score, did not seem to significantly affect the results (p for subgroup difference all > 0.05).

Prediabetes may be associated with a slightly higher prevalence of depression in the general population, particularly in subjects aged <50 years old.