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Depression not linked to insulin resistance in patients with diabetes, HCV

Depression was not associated with peripheral insulin resistance among a cohort of patients with diabetes and hepatitis C virus infection, according to a study data published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis.

Researchers enrolled 74 patients with diabetes (non-type 2) and HCV (mean age, 48 years) in the cross-sectional study and evaluated data after extensive comprehensive, clinical, histologic and metabolic testing to determine whether insulin resistance was associated with depression. Insulin was appraised through an insulin resistance test that measured steady-state plasma glucose and logistic regression analyses was used to evaluate predictors associated with depression, according to the research.

Of all the patients, 39 were diagnosed with depression and 54% of these patients were on at least one antidepressant medication. The patients with depression were more likely to be white (51%), unemployed (69%), heavy smokers (18 pack-years), undergoing substance abuse therapy (16%) and had lower HDL levels (1.2 mmol/L).

In patients with depression, mean insulin resistance level deliberated by the steady-state plasma glucose was 7.3 mmol/L compared with 8.3 mmol/L in patients who were not depressed (P = .45), indicating a lack of significant difference between the two.

Multipredictor adjusted analysis showed white race (OR = 4.19; 95% CI, 1.42-12.35) and lower HDL level (OR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89-0.99) to be the only factors associated with depression within this cohort. The estimated OR of the association between steady-state plasma glucose and depression was 0.97 (P = .31).

“Depression was not associated with [insulin resistance] in our HCV-infected cohort,” the researchers concluded. “With the introduction of highly effective direct-acting anti-HCV treatments, the burden of HCV is anticipated to decrease significantly. However, considering the multifactorial nature of depression, interventions directed at other modifiable risk factors in at-risk individuals in this population are warranted.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial relationships.