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| |  ADA MEETING: Diabetes and Depression Enhance Each Other's Severity and Cost SAN DIEGO, CA. -- June 21, 1999 -- People who have diabetes and are also depressed suffer far more than those with diabetes alone. New research shows these people have a worsened quality of life, much higher medical costs and more diabetes complications, according to reports presented yesterday (June 20) at the American Diabetes Association’s 59th Annual Scientific Sessions. "One plus one equals much more than two when you add diabetes and depression," explained Patrick Lustman, PhD, professor of medical psychology in the department of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, in a recent interview. "Because of physiologic and behavioral interactions between diabetes and depression, each becomes more difficult to control, increasing the risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetic retinopathy causing blindness, neuropathy and other complications." However, while noting that depression may occur in as many as 20 percent of people with diabetes, he emphasized that treatment can improve the situation, yielding a positive feedback cycle. "When you treat the depression, with psychotherapy, medication, or both, it becomes easier to control blood sugar levels," said Dr. Lustman. "Similarly, lower blood sugar levels make it easier to treat depression. So, diabetes and depression are ideal candidates for intensive interdisciplinary treatment." Nearly 16 million Americans have diabetes, a group of serious diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin. Diabetes can lead to severely debilitating or fatal complications, such as blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and amputations. It is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in the U.S. The studies reported yesterday (June 20) at the ADA meeting involved people with type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes). It usually arises because of insulin resistance, in which the body fails to use insulin properly, combined with relative (rather than absolute) insulin deficiency. In other cases, it primarily involves an insulin secretory defect combined with some insulin resistance. It is the most common type of diabetes and typically occurs in those over 45 and overweight.
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