Open Access
Ozdemir et al., J Diabetes Metab 2012, 3:9
DOI: 10.4172/2155-6156.1000221
Volume 3 • Issue 9 • 1000221
J Diabetes Metab
ISSN:2155-6156 JDM, an open access journal
Research Article
Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Type 2- psychiatric symptoms; Quality
of life; Chronic disease
Introduction
Type 2 is the most commonly encountered form of diabetes,
representing 90% of cases. Te current fgure of 150 million diabetics is
expected to rise to 300 million in 2025 [1]. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM)
gives rise to acute metabolic complications developing in the long term
(coronary disease, peripheral artery disease, cerebrovascular disease)
and to microvascular complications (nephropathy, retinopathy) [2].
Although type 2 DM is essentially a disease of the endocrine system,
it also has psychosocial and psychological dimensions that impact on
several systems. It can also lead to psychiatric disorders by afecting
cerebral functions, and perception of the disease and its impact on
the patient’s spheres of life can also give rise to psychiatric problems
[3,4]. In addition to physical treatment, consideration of patients with
diabetes as a whole requires diagnosis and treatment of the mental,
psychological, psychophysical and psychosocial pictures accompanying
the disease. Te majority of studies aimed at determining quality of life
in patients with diabetes have shown a decline in quality of life with
increasing duration of type 2 DM [5,6]. Te presence of complications,
failure to establish sufcient metabolic control, the presence of
other chronic diseases and previous psychological diseases, all have
a negative impact on quality of life [7]. In another study, quality of
life in patients reported as receiving insulin treatment was lower than
that of patients receiving oral treatment. Conditions accompanied by
obesity and complications also accompany a low quality of life [8].
In the presence of changes in blood glucose levels, disease-associated
complications and other co-morbid chronic diseases, physical
functioning impairment, problems and psychiatric disorders emerging
as the duration of the disease increases all have an efect on emotional
state and the difculties imposed on the patient by the disease. Tese
difculties in turn impact on social functioning. Quality of life has been
reported to be worse in diabetic individuals compared to the general
population in several studies [9,10].
Signifcant advances in the treatment of diseases have led to an
intensifcation of eforts directed toward the extension of average
life expectancies and, in association with this, increasing quality of
life in individuals with chronic diseases. Studies evaluating the efect
on quality of life in patients with type 2 DM of diferent treatment
modalities, symptom severity and other physical diseases accompanied
by complications, report that these all have a negative impact [11-13].
Te aim of this study was to investigate the associations between
quality of life and psychiatric symptoms observed in patients with
type 2 DM and other co-morbid chronic physical diseases and
sociodemographic variables.
Methods
Sample groups
Te cases enrolled in the study were selected from consecutive
patients under observation with a diagnosis of type 2 DM at the
*Corresponding author: Cicek Hocaoglu, Department of Psychiatry, Medical
School, University of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 53000, Rize, Turkey, Tel: +90 464
2123000; E-mail: cicek.hocaoglu@rize.edu.tr
Received August 30, 2012; Accepted October 15, 2012; Published October 21,
2012
Citation: Ozdemir I, Hocaoglu C, Kocak M, Ersoz OH (2012) The Effect on Quality
of Life and Psychiatric Symptoms of other Co-morbid Chronic Diseases on Patients
with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. J Diabetes Metab 3: 221. doi:10.4172/2155-
6156.1000221
Copyright: © 2012 Ozdemir I, et al. This is an open-access article distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objective: This study was intended to examine the associations between psychiatric symptoms and quality of
life in patients with diabetes and other co-morbid chronic physical diseases and sociodemographic variables.
Method: One hundred randomly selected consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) admitted to
the Department of Endocrinology out-patient clinic at the Karadeniz Technical University were enrolled. One hundred
age-, gender- and marital status-matched volunteers served as the control group. The sociodemographic data form,
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) and Short Form-36 (SF–36) were completed for all participants.
Results: Patient group education and income levels were lower than those of the controls. When SF-36 scores
were compared in terms of presence or absence of co-morbid disease in addition to diabetes, mean scores of
subjects with chronic disease were lower in the patient and control groups. When HAD-A and HAD-D mean scores
were compared in terms of the presence or absence of other co-morbid chronic disease, both sub-scale scores were
higher in those members of the patient group with chronic diseases.
Conclusions: This study establishes that diabetes causes an extreme deterioration in patients’ quality of life
and gives rise to many accompanying clinical signs. Our study thus emphasizes the need for consultation and liaison
between departments.
The Effect on Quality of Life and Psychiatric Symptoms of other Co-morbid
Chronic Diseases on Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Ilkay Ozdemir
1
, Cicek Hocaoglu
2
*, Mustafa Kocak
3
and Onder H Ersoz
3
1
Health Directorate, Trabzon, Turkey
2
Department of Psychiatry, University of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rize, Turkey
3
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
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ISSN: 2155-6156
Journal of Diabetes and Metabolism