Depression: the Unseen Foe for Diabetic Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Background| Recent studies have brought to light that people with diabetes mellitus (DM) have twice the risk compared to the general population of developing long - term symptoms of depression, a risk factor for coronary heart disease. The aim of this study is to discover if depressed diabetic patients have a higher incidence of cardiovascular complications and evaluate the relationship between the presence of depression and glycemic control in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods: A cross - sectional study was conducted on patients suffering from DM admitted to the Diabetes Department of the Emergency County Hospital Timisoara, between January and December 2012. All relevant information was extracted from patient charts: DM type and duration, DM treatment, weight status, HbA1c, presence of cardiovascular complications. Results: Out of the 1346 patients included in our study 54% were males. 8.5 % of the entire population has been also diagnosed with depression. Depression was found in 7.9% of patients with type 1 DM, while the prevalence of depression was 8.6% in the type 2 DM category. There was statistic significance between diabetes mellitus and depression (p < 0.05). The mean value of HbA1c was 9.2% in patients suffering from both DM and depression and 8.9% in diabetic patients only. Patients with DM and depression were able to achieve the < 8% HbA1c target in 29.31% of the cases, while those without depression in 32.59% of the cases. Conclusions: Depression in diabetes results in a high economic burden to society in terms of both direct and indirect costs. This highlights the need for active screening for depression in diabetic patients in order to achieve an optimum management of this disease.