Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes at higher risk of Stress-related disorders

Recent research revealed that there is a greater risk of developing depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes due to shared familial factors. The study was published in the journal "Diabetes Care, 2022." 

The childhood onset of type 1 diabetes may cause an immense psychological burden to the patients. So, researchers from Sweden conducted a study to estimate the association and familial coaggregation of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes with depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. 

A population-based cohort study was conducted by collecting data from Swedish nationwide registers. Nearly 3.5 million individuals born in Sweden from 1973–2007 were linked to their biological parents, full siblings and half-siblings, and cousins. To estimate the association and familial coaggregation of type 1 diabetes with depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders Cox models were used. 

Results: 

• There were 20,005 Individuals diagnosed with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes. 
• They were found to be at greater risks of any psychiatric diagnosis or specific diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders, as well as the use of antidepressants or anxiolytics, compared with individuals without type 1 diabetes.
• Overall, relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes were at elevated risks of developing these outcomes, with the highest risks seen in parents, followed by full siblings, and the magnitudes of risk estimates appear proportional to familial relatedness. 

Thus, the researchers concluded that children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are at greater risks of developing depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders due to shared familial factors that contribute to these elevated risks. They also suggested the need for psychological consultation for children and their families in diabetes care. They further added that quantitative and molecular genetic studies are necessary to further understand the etiology of these psychiatric disorders in type 1 diabetes. 

For the full article, click here: doi:10.2337/dc21-1347

Liu S, Leone M, Ludvigsson JF, et al. Association and Familial Coaggregation of Childhood-Onset Type 1 Diabetes With Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-Related Disorders: A Population-Based Cohort Study [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 1]. Diabetes Care. 2022;dc211347.