Young adults with a history of depression have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a Canadian team.
"Our results are very important because the typical onset of depression occurs between 20 and 30 years of age," Dr. Jeffrey A. Johnson told. "These are the people who are at highest risk of developing depression and, based on our study results, they seem to have the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes."
Diabetes and depression often co-exist, and "depression is associated with worse outcomes in people with diabetes," Dr. Johnson and colleagues from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, write in the journal Diabetes Care.
It is not been entirely clear, however, whether people with a history of depression are somehow predisposed to developing diabetes, they explain.
The researchers used databases of Saskatchewan Health to identify 33,257 cases of type 2 diabetes among people at least 20 years of age, and each was matched to two nondiabetic "controls." The records were also used to any ascertain history of depression.
Patients with newly diagnosed diabetes were more likely to have a history of depression than were those without diabetes (4.9 percent vs. 3.8 percent, respectively).
This increased risk remained after taking into account various factors, "but was limited to subjects 20 to 50 years of age," the researchers report.
They note that there are several mechanisms that may be involved with this association. Depressed individuals are more likely to experience weight changes and less likely to partake in healthy behaviors such as exercise, both of which may increase the risk of diabetes.
Another possible explanation, according to the team, is that many of the medications used to treat depression cause weight gain and sedation, and may contribute to the development of diabetes.
Showing posts with label dialysis patients. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dialysis patients. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Study Finds Morning Dialysis Patients Live Longer
Elderly patients undergoing regular dialysis for kidney failure live longer if they get their treatment in the morning, a new study has found.
Patients with kidney failure must undergo dialysis to clear waste products from the blood. No previous research has been done into whether the time of day at which dialysis is performed has any effect on patient survival, according to Dr. Donald L. Bliwise of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues.
To investigate, Bliwise's team followed 242 patients aged 60 and older for 11 years. The study participants included 167 patients who had dialysis in the morning, and 75 who had the procedure in the afternoon.
Morning dialysis patients lived, on average, about 1 year and 3 months longer than the patients treated in the afternoon, Bliwise and colleagues report.
When other factors that could affect survival, such as whether or not a patient had diabetes or heart disease, were taken into account, the researchers found morning dialysis cut the risk of death by about 30%.
The authors note that timing has been shown to influence the effectiveness of certain medical treatments. For example, in certain cancers, chemotherapy is much more effective when given in the early morning.
While the reason for the survival advantage to morning dialysis remains unclear, the fact that morning patients are more likely to sleep during the procedure may play a role, co-author Dr. Nancy Kutner explained.
``Previous studies have shown that dialysis during sleep may be more effective,'' she says. Another possibility, the researchers suggest, is that dialysis may be less effective when performed during the afternoon.
``More research needs to be conducted to identify if morning hemodialysis is more beneficial,'' she added.
Every year in the US, more than 300,000 patients receive treatment for kidney failure and roughly 20% of these patients die annually, the report notes.
Patients with kidney failure must undergo dialysis to clear waste products from the blood. No previous research has been done into whether the time of day at which dialysis is performed has any effect on patient survival, according to Dr. Donald L. Bliwise of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues.
To investigate, Bliwise's team followed 242 patients aged 60 and older for 11 years. The study participants included 167 patients who had dialysis in the morning, and 75 who had the procedure in the afternoon.
Morning dialysis patients lived, on average, about 1 year and 3 months longer than the patients treated in the afternoon, Bliwise and colleagues report.
When other factors that could affect survival, such as whether or not a patient had diabetes or heart disease, were taken into account, the researchers found morning dialysis cut the risk of death by about 30%.
The authors note that timing has been shown to influence the effectiveness of certain medical treatments. For example, in certain cancers, chemotherapy is much more effective when given in the early morning.
While the reason for the survival advantage to morning dialysis remains unclear, the fact that morning patients are more likely to sleep during the procedure may play a role, co-author Dr. Nancy Kutner explained.
``Previous studies have shown that dialysis during sleep may be more effective,'' she says. Another possibility, the researchers suggest, is that dialysis may be less effective when performed during the afternoon.
``More research needs to be conducted to identify if morning hemodialysis is more beneficial,'' she added.
Every year in the US, more than 300,000 patients receive treatment for kidney failure and roughly 20% of these patients die annually, the report notes.
