Diabetic complications and risk of depression and anxiety among adults with type 2 diabetes

AIMS: To investigate if diabetic complications increase the risk of depression and/or anxiety among adults with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS: This register-based, prospective study included 265,799 adult individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1997 and 2017 without a recent history of depression or anxiety. Diabetic complications included cardiovascular disease, amputation of lower extremities, neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy. Both diabetic complications and depression and anxiety were defined by hospital contacts and prescription-based medication. All individuals were followed from the date of type 2 diabetes diagnosis until the date of incident depression or anxiety, emigration, death or 31 December 2018, whichever occurred first.

RESULTS: The total risk time was 1,915,390 person-years. The incidence rate of depression and/or anxiety was 3368 per 100,000 person-years among individuals with diabetic complications and 1929 per 100,000 person-years among those without. Having or developing any diabetic complication was associated with an increased risk of depression and/or anxiety (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.73-1.80). The risk for depression and/or anxiety was increased for all types of diabetic complications. The strongest association was found for amputation of lower extremities (HR 2.16, 95% CI 2.01-2.31) and the weakest for retinopathy (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.09-1.17).

CONCLUSION: Individuals with type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications are at increased risk of depression and anxiety. This points towards the importance of an increased clinical focus on mental well-being among individuals with type 2 diabetes and complications.