High Mortality Among Those with Diabetes, Depression

Both minor and major depression linked to increased mortality in type 2 diabetes patients

MONDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Both minor and major depression are strongly associated with an increased mortality rate over a three-year period in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the November issue of Diabetes Care.

Wayne J. Katon, M.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues surveyed 4,154 patients with type 2 diabetes in a large health maintenance organization, who were followed for up to three years. Patients completed a written questionnaire and researchers collected data on diabetes-related complications and deaths.

Among the 3,303 type 2 diabetes patients without depression, there were 275 deaths (8.3%) compared with 48 deaths (13.6%) among 354 patients with minor depression and 59 deaths (11.9%) among those with major depression. Minor and major depression were associated with a 1.67-fold and 2.30-fold increase in mortality, respectively.

"Sedentary lifestyle was a significant independent predictor of mortality in the fully adjusted model and has been shown to adversely affect mortality in patients with diabetes," the authors write. "Further research will be necessary to disentangle causal relationships among depression, behavioral risk factors (adherence to medical regimens), diabetes complications and mortality," they conclude.

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