Is there a link between mood and glucose control in diabetes?

May 2, 2012 in Pediatrics

When blood sugar levels in diabetes are poorly controlled, patients tend to have more complications such as depression and other mood disturbances, including anxiety and anger, and a lower overall quality of life. A better understanding of the relationship between glycemic variability and psychological disorders can lead to more effective strategies for patient management, as presented in articles published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Two related articles on this topic are available free on the Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics website.

"Mood disorders and their association with poor glucose control that can lead to long-term diabetes complications are of great concern," says Satish Garg, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics and Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver. "We still do not know which comes first. This needs further investigation, especially using newer technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring."

Tim Wysocki, PhD, Nemours Children's Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, explores the question of how and under what conditions the mood of patients with diabetes might be affected—whether directly or indirectly—by their level of glycemic control. In his editorial entitled "Associations between Affect and Glycemia: A Two-Way Street?" Dr. Wysocki describes a challenging set of questions that require studies using modern technologies to gain a more complete understanding of the complex interactions involved.

In one study, continuous glucose monitoring data collected from a group of women with type 2 diabetes led to the conclusion that greater glycemic variability may be associated with negative moods and lower quality of life, as described in the article "Does Glycemic Variability Impact Mood and Quality of Life?" by Sue Penckofer, PhD, RN, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, and colleagues from University of Illinois at Chicago, Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame, IN), mfmillstat, Ltd. (Philadelphia, PA), and Integrated Medical Development (Princeton Junction, NJ).