By Michael Addelman, University of Manchester — Medical X Press — 30 June 2020
A University of Manchester study of tens of thousands of patients in England with type 2 diabetes has shown that 77% of them have at least one other physical or mental health condition. The observational study highlights how some conditions, such as schizophrenia — which is 2.4 times more likely to be present compared to people without diabetes — are under-reported in diabetes guidelines.
Patients were also 1.8 times more likely to have depression when compared to people without diabetes, 1.6 times more likely to have asthma, and 1.6 times more likely to have COPD. The study estimated that around 52% of the 5 million UK patients with diabetes are likely to have hypertension. Additionally, 18% of people with type 2 diabetes were diagnosed with osteoarthritis, 24% with hyperlipidaemia, 12.4% with depression, and 5.6% with anxiety.
Lead author Dr. Salwa Zghebi said: “Our findings have important clinical and public health implications. We highlight the need for future clinical guidelines in diabetes to refocus patient-centred care on non-cardiometabolic conditions such as asthma, COPD, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and osteoarthritis. Mental health is of particular concern and our data highlight a profound clinical need in young people with type 2 diabetes who might benefit enormously from mental health interventions.”