Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
report that older adults with diabetes and depression are half as
likely to die over a 5-year period when they receive depression care
management than depressed patients with diabetes who do not receive
depression care management. The first known study to examine the
relationship between diabetes and mortality in a depression
intervention trial appears in the December issue of Diabetes Care.


"Depression is common among people with diabetes and contributes to
issues with medication and diet adherence, and also leads to an
overall reduced quality of life," says lead author, Hillary R. Bogner,
MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice and
Community Medicine at Penn.

The multi-site, practice-randomized controlled trial was conducted in
20 primary care practices in New York City, Philadelphia, and
Pittsburgh. A total of 584 participants 60 - 94 years of age were
identified through a depression screening, and of these participants,
123 reported a history of diabetes. The practices were randomly
assigned to usual care, or a depression care management intervention,
which involved a depression care manager who worked with the primary
care provider to recommend treatment for depression and assist
patients with treatment adherence.

At follow-up, 110 depressed patients had died. Depressed, older adults
with diabetes who were in practices randomized to depression care
management were less likely to have died at the end of the 5-year
follow-up than were depressed, older adults with diabetes who received
usual care. The authors note that they believe these findings support
the integration of depression evaluation and treatment with diabetes
management in primary care.

Source: University of Pennsylvania
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