Affiliation(s)
1. Consultant Family Medicine, Family Medicine Academy, E1 Cluster, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
2. Consultant Family Medicine, Postgraduate Family Medicine Program, Alahsa Province, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
3. Professor of Biostatistics and Genetic Epidemiology, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates
ABSTRACT
Background: Recognition and treatment of emotional distress, which affects 20 to 40% of
outpatients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, are
important because of its association with worse
diabetes self-care, poor glycemic control, increased rates of mortality and diabetes-related
complications, and a rise in healthcare expenditure. However, although the symptoms
of emotional distress improve in diabetic patients after psychological and pharmacological
interventions, evidence of benefits in glycemic control is still uncertain. Objective: The
aim of this study was to assess the metabolic control in diabetic patients with
emotional distress attending primary mental care clinics (PMCC) in the Eastern Province
of Saudi Arabia. Method: This study was a single group pretest-posttest
design conducted on adult diabetic patients with emotional distress attending PMCC.
Out of 194 attendees,
62 patients who
fulfilled the selection criteria were studied. Data were collected
from the patients’ records using a worksheet designed for the study.
Metabolic parameters including
BMI, BP, FBS, HbA1c and lipid profile were recorded before and after the management
of emotional distress. Socio-demographic characteristics, complications related
to diabetes and co-morbidities were also recorded. Paired t-test was used appropriately to compare continuous variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered
significant in all statistical analysis. Results: The majority of the patients had type 2 DM (98.2%) and the presence
of co-morbidities was high (83.9%). A comparison of the metabolic parameters before and after management of emotional distress, showed a significant reduction
in HbA1c (p = 0.020) and elevation in
HDL (p = 0.010). No differences
in BMI, BP, FBS, TC, TG or LDL were found. Conclusions: Treating emotional distress in diabetic patients
is associated with an improvement in HbA1c
and HDL.
KEYWORDS
Diabetes mellitus, emotional distress, depression,
anxiety, primary health care.
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References