"Concerned stakeholders should, therefore, work to promote healthy behaviour and improve blood sugar control, specifically among those with complications or who have been sick for an extended period," the researchers wrote.

According to the International Diabetic Federation, 537 million people worldwide had diabetes in 2021, with type 2 diabetes accounting for 90% of all cases. Depression is a serious and common medical illness that causes feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in activities, and approximately 280 million people suffer from depression globally. Depression is currently ranked third in terms of disease burden. However, it is expected to overtake all other diseases by 2030.

Seid Yimam Ali, Medicine, Jigjiga University, Jigjiga, Somali, Ethiopia, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depression and its clinical predictors, sociodemographic predictors, and glycaemic control among adult type 2 diabetes patients at Sheik Hassan Yabare Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (SHYCSH), Jigjiga, Ethiopia.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study including patients with type 2 diabetes at Sheik Hassan Yabare Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, for chronic follow-up from 3 October 2022 to 13 November 2022.

278 patients with T2DM age 18 years and older, were selected, with a duration of 1 year or more since diagnosis, who had a diabetic follow-up at SHYCSH. The Patient Health Questionnaire was used to assess depression.

The study revealed the following findings:

• A total of 263 participants were included, with a response rate of 94.6%. Of the respondents, 51% were male, making up more than half of the total.
• The overall prevalence of depression was 47.1%.
• Depression was further classified, as follows, based on its severity: the majority (66 or 25.1%) had mild depression, followed by 16.7% with moderate depression, 3.4% with moderately severe depression and 1.9% with severe depression.
• A multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that poor glycaemic control (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.93), DM complications (AOR=2.02) and DM 6-10 years since diagnosis (AOR=2.29) were independently associated with depression.

Based on the findings, the researchers recommend that the Somali Regional Health Bureau and SHYCSH integrate depression screening strategies for T2DM patients during follow-ups at health facilities. They also recommend a holistic approach that prioritises blood sugar control and treatment of diabetes complications among type 2 diabetes patients.

"We suggest that further studies should investigate the relationship between predictors and depressed patients with T2DM, non-depressed patients with T2DM, and healthy controls in a longitudinal or multicentre to ensure generalisability and determine causality," the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Ali, Seid Yimam, et al. "Depression and Glycaemic Control Among Adult Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: a Cross-sectional Study in a Comprehensive Specialised Hospital, Jigjiga, Ethiopia." BMJ Open, vol. 13, no. 11, 2023, pp. e073123.