A study of veterans has found that those who no longer meet the criteria for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are less at risk of adverse type 2 diabetes outcomes.
The American study identified PTSD as a “modifiable” risk factor when it comes to poor outcomes in type 2 diabetes.
The team looked at data from just over 10,000 veterans and found that among veterans aged 18 to 49 years – but not among those aged 50 to 80 years – no longer meeting PTSD criteria was associated with a lower likelihood of starting insulin and a lower risk of all-cause mortality.
- Tirzepatide linked to lower risk of death in people with type 2 diabetes
- Normalising blood sugar levels is a prevention strategy for type 2 diabetes
- Antidiabetic drugs linked to lower dementia risk in people with type 2 diabetes
They also found a link between those no longer classed as suffering from PTSD and a lower risk of microvascular complications.
The authors explained: “Individuals with psychiatric disorders have a 20-year shorter life expectancy than those without mental illness, and despite advances in treatment, there has been little to no narrowing of the mental health disparity in mortality over the past 30 years.
“This disparity in mortality may be related to the association between mental illness and poor metabolic health.
“For example, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a significantly increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes.
- Weight loss and blood sugar regulation during prediabetes can prevent type 2 diabetes
- Popular fasting diet more beneficial for treating type 2 diabetes than drugs, researchers say
- Men at higher risk of type 2 diabetes due to pronounced insulin resistance of adipose tissue
“Patients with comorbid PTSD and type 2 diabetes have worse glycaemic control, increased risk of hospitalisation, and poorer self-reported health compared with patients with type 2 diabetes alone.”
The authors went on to say: “The findings of this study suggest that PTSD is a modifiable risk factor for some adverse type 2 diabetes outcomes among patients with comorbid PTSD and type 2 diabetes.”
Read the study, led by Jeffrey F. Scherrer from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, in Jama Network.
