Depressed diabetics more likely to die prematurely: Study

People with Type-1 diabetes showing highest level of depressive symptoms are most likely to die prematurely, a study shows.

Researchers measured depressive symptoms such as low mood, losing interest in doing things, loss of appetite, feeling worthless and having suicidal tendencies.

They used 'Beck Depression Inventory' - a widely used instrument for measuring the severity of depression via 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory.

"For every one point increase on the 'Beck Depression Inventory' scale, participants showed a four percent increase in risk for mortality - after controlling for other factors that might increase the risk of death," said Cassie Fickley from University of Pittsburgh in the US.

Participants in the study had been diagnosed with diabetes as children between 1950 and 1980, and were first studied in 1986.

They are now in their 25th year of follow-up as part of a large, prospective cohort study.

"The results are very consistent with earlier findings which showed that greater depressive symptomatology predicted the incidence of heart disease in this cohort," Trevor Orchard, professor at University of Pittsburgh, noted.