A new study co-authored by two academics within the Department of Podiatry at the Faculty of Health Sciences, aimed to determine if there is a relationship between having diabetic peripheral neuropathy and the development of depressive symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Prof. Cynthia Formosa and Prof. Alfred Gatt conducted a comparative non-experimental study with 95 individuals aged 65 years and more, who are also T2DM patients. The sample was split into two groups, 50 participants with T2DM only and 45 with DPN. A patient health questionnaire was used to collect information about low mood and depression symptoms in the recruited subjects.
They concluded that the association between diabetic neuropathy and depression is confirmed, with significant depressive symptoms found in patients with neuropathy when compared to patients with diabetes with no complications. Therefore, complaints caused by these emotional problems should be addressed in the management of DPN to prevent depressive symptoms.
Prof. Formosa and Prof. Gatt call for a change in screening practices to help identify these patients earlier.
The study was published in The Review of Diabetic Studies, and the paper, titled ‘Screening for Depressive Symptoms amongst Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy’ is available for viewing online.