Chronic Diabetes Complications Bidirectionally Linked to Mental Health Disorders

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28, 2024 (HealthDay News) — There is a consistent, bidirectional association between chronic diabetes complications (CDCs) and mental health disorders (MHDs), according to a study published online July 15 in Diabetes Care.

Maya Watanabe, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined bidirectional associations between the timing of CDCs and MHDs in individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The analysis included 553,552 individuals (44,735 with type 1 diabetes, 152,187 with type 2 diabetes, and 356,630 without diabetes).

The researchers found that having a CDC increased the risk for developing an MHD (hazard ratio, 1.9 to 2.9), with a higher risk observed in older age strata. Furthermore, having an MHD increased the risk for developing a CDC (hazard ratio, 1.4 to 2.5), with a higher risk observed among those ages 0 to 19 years. In younger individuals (younger than 60 years), those with type 1 diabetes were more likely to have CDCs, while those with type 2 diabetes were more likely to have MHDs. However, the bidirectional relationship between CDCs and MHDs was not affected by diabetes type.

“Most likely, a combination of direct and indirect effects and shared risk factors drive the association we are seeing,” Watanabe said in a statement. “Diabetes care providers may be able to simultaneously prevent the risk of multiple complications by providing interventions to treat these shared risk factors.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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