History of major depressive disorder and diabetes outcomes in diet- and tablet-treated post-menopausal women: a case control study.

Objective: Little is known about the long-term associations between remitted major depressive disorder (MDD) and clinical diabetes outcomes. This study investigated associations between a remote history of fully remitted MDD and (i) glycaemic control, (ii) diabetes symptoms, and (iii) physical and emotional functioning in post-menopausal women with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods: Forty-four post-menopausal women with diet- or tablet-treated T2DM participated. Twenty-three had never experienced depression and 21 had a history of MDD. All participants had been free of MDD and antidepressant treatment for > or = 1 year.

Results: Compared with their never-depressed counterparts, women with a history of MDD had significantly higher HbA(1c) (7.0 vs. 6.5%), more diabetes symptoms, and worse emotional functioning, after controlling for confounding variables. Differences in HbA(1c) and diabetes symptoms were not accounted for by the higher current subclinical depressive symptoms observed in the previously depressed group. Differences in emotional functioning were accounted for by current subclinical depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Most health-care providers overlook fully remitted depression. However, previously depressed patients, who outnumber currently depressed patients, may still have poorer glycaemic control than never-depressed patients.