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Diabetic women over 61 yrs more likely to experience depression with neuropathy, concludes CSUEB researchers

Stephen Morewitz and Sharada Tata

Stephen Morewitz and Sharada Tata

  • January 6, 2011 5:18am

The Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association published new research from Stephen Morewitz, lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Sharada Tata, graduate student in Health Care Administration.

Prior studies have established a link between depression and peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients, suggesting an increased likelihood that diabetic patients will experience depressive symptoms related to lower-extremity peripheral neuropathy and arthritis during middle age and later life. In their article, “Age Differences in Hopelessness and Toe Pain in Persons with Insulin-Dependent and Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus,” Morewitz and Tata investigated whether there are age differences between insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients regarding their feelings of hopelessness and toe pain.

Using multivariate statistical procedures to analyze 32,006 adults from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey, the authors identified that diabetic women older than 61 years – regardless of being insulin-dependent or non-insulin-dependent -are more likely to experience depression related to peripheral neuropathy.  Morewitz and Tata concluded that clinicians should incorporate depression and toe pain symptoms into their assessment and treatment, especially in diabetic women older than 61 years.

KL

 

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