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Self-rated health quality linked to clinical symptoms of diabetes
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Self-rated health quality was positively linked to clinical symptoms and the psychological effect of diabetes, according to preliminary data presented at EASD 2013.
Oliver Rácz, MD, PhD, professor of pathophysiology, Šafárik University, Medical School in Košice, Slovakia, said the pilot study involved self-reported information obtained from 188 patients (43 with type 1 diabetes; 145 with type 2 diabetes).
“Self-rated health and health-related quality of life may also provide additional information on patient risk independent of clinical and biochemical risk factors,” Rácz said.
There was a positive association between self-rated health and age in patients with type 1 diabetes (P<.05), and a negative association between self-rated health and two clinical variables (duration of diabetes and number of microvascular events; P<.05 for both), according to data.
Lower self-rated health was related to the presence of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Psychological variables based on satisfaction with treatment and Cantril’s ladder of life were also positively correlated to self-rated health (P<.05 for both).
Negative associations existed between self-rated health and the duration of diabetes, BMI and number of complications among those with type 2 diabetes (P<.05 for all). Again, lower self-rated health was linked to the presence of hypertension (P<.05), Rácz said.
Patients on insulin displayed lower self-rated health scores compared with those who used oral medications and diet to treat their disease, he said.
“The associations among the clinical manifestations are not always expected,” Rácz said. “The subjective dimension of the disease is as important as the clinical symptoms and the results of laboratory assays.”
For more information:
Rácz O. Oral Presentation #125. Presented at: the 49th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes; Sept. 24-27, 2013; Barcelona, Spain.
Disclosure: Endocrine Today could not confirm researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.