Tuesday, June 24, 2008


Diabetes and Depression Track Each Other

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
24 june 2008--Depressed people may have an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, and those with diabetes may be at increased risk for depression. A study published on June 18 in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests a new level of complexity in the relationship between the disorders.
Researchers studied 5,201 people without Type 2 diabetes and determined the risk for developing it among those with and without depressive symptoms over three years. The incidence of diabetes increased 1.1 times for each five-point increase in scores on a depression questionnaire.
Then they looked at 4,847 people without depressive symptoms and calculated the risk for developing depression among those with and without diabetes. Surprisingly, people with untreated diabetes or prediabetes were less likely to be depressed, but those being treated for Type 2 diabetes had more than a 50 percent increased relative risk for depression compared with those who did not have diabetes.
“The complications and burdens of managing significant diabetes can increase the risk for depression,” said Dr. Sherita Hill Golden, the lead author and an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins. “And in our study, the people who had depression ate more, smoked more and were more obese, all of which can increase the risk for diabetes.”

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