Changes in depressive symptoms and metabolic control over 3 years among African Americans with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

It is established that individuals with diabetes have high rates of depression, but the longitudinal relationship between depression and glycemic control has not been well examined, particularly among African Americans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal relationship between depressive symptoms and metabolic control.

METHOD

We conducted an earlier cross-sectional study that demonstrated marginal and significant associations between depressive symptoms (using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]) and metabolic control (HbA1c, lipids, blood pressure) among 183 African Americans with type 2 diabetes. In this report, we present data on these individuals, followed for three years, and examine the relationship between change in depressive symptoms and change in metabolic control over that time period.

RESULTS

Results showed that that there were no statistically significant associations between baseline or change in depressive symptoms and metabolic control over three years. Limited statistical power may explain this negative finding.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides insight into the relationship between depression and metabolic control. Prospective observational studies are needed to further evaluate this relationship.