Researchers have found that depression may make it harder for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar. In a study of 11,000 people with type 2 diabetes followed for a decade, those diagnosed with depression had higher levels of HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin, the standard measure of long-term blood sugar).
This is worrying, because people with diabetes are more likely than others to become depressed: about 30% will be depressed at some point.
"We found that depression is an important contributor to illness in people with type 2 diabetes," said Dr Leonard Egede, one of the researchers, who published the findings with colleagues from the Medical University of South Carolina in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.
Although the rise in HbA1c was small, it has a big effect over time. The reasons aren't clear, but one possibility is that coping with depression makes it harder to keep track of diabetes and follow treatment. If you have diabetes and feel low, talk to your doctor: depression can be treated.
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