In this German prospective representative study of patients with type 2 diabetes, baseline depression predicted problems with medication adherence, problems with health-related behaviors, and unsatisfactory glycemic control at follow-up.

Findings regarding the degree to which depression may exert a negative impact on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes are inconsistent. A group of German investigators therefore aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between depression, behavioral factors, and glycemic control.

In a prospective component of a nationally representative sample, 866 patients with type 2 diabetes aged ≥18 years completed a standardized assessment including a laboratory screening, questionnaires, and diagnostic measures.

Subsequent to baseline (t0), patients were tracked over a period of 12 months (t1). Depression was assessed according to DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria. Glycemic control was determined by levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c); a level of ≥7% was judged as unsatisfactory.

Regression analyses were performed to analyze the prospective relationship between depression, medication adherence, diabetes-related health behavior, and HbA1c. Patients with depression at t0 revealed increased rates of medication nonadherence (adjusted OR: 2.67; CI: 1.38-5.15) at t1. Depression (adjusted regression coefficient: β = 0.96; p = 0.001) and subthreshold depression (β = 1.01; p

< 0.001) at t0 also predicted increased problems with diabetes-related health behavior at t1. Adjusted ORs for poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥7%) at t1 were also increased for patients with baseline depression (2.01; CI: 1.10-3.69).

However, problems with medication adherence as well as problems with diabetes-related health behavior at t0 did not predict poor glycemic control at t1. In a prospective representative study of patients with type 2 diabetes, baseline depression predicted problems with medication adherence, problems with health-related behaviors, and unsatisfactory glycemic control at follow-up.

SOURCE alphagalileo.org