Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
July 8, 2026Discover Mental HealthOpen Access

T2D is linked to ~3x higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, with severe cases tied to hypercortisolism.

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Why the study?

Are elevated cortisol levels associated with depressive symptoms and poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes?

Population

300 individuals (200 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 100 individuals without diabetes)

Design

Case-control

Key result

Patients with type 2 diabetes had a significantly higher prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms compared to healthy controls (38% vs. 13%), and severe depressive symptoms were independently associated with hypercortisolism.

Authors

UAUzair AbbasRLRabeel Nawaz LaghariMTMisha Tanveer

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Supports depression screening in poorly controlled T2D; hypothesis-generating for cortisol's mechanistic role.

Key Points

  • This study seeks to explore the relationship between cortisol levels, depressive symptoms, and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.
  • Case-control design with 200 type 2 diabetes patients and 100 controls without diabetes.
  • Screened participants for depression and anxiety using HAM-D and HAM-A scales.
  • Measured morning cortisol levels and analyzed their association with glycemic control in diabetes patients.
  • Depressive symptoms were more prevalent in diabetes patients (38%) than in controls (13%), p < 0.001.
  • Patients with severe depressive symptoms showed higher cortisol and HbA1c levels while having lower insulin levels, p < 0.05.
  • Independent predictors of high cortisol included moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, elevated HbA1c, and diabetes complications.

Study Design

Type

Case-Control (n=300)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Are elevated cortisol levels associated with depressive symptoms and poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes?

P
Population
300 adults (200 with type 2 diabetes and 100 healthy controls) aged 18 and older, without previously diagnosed anxiety or depression, evaluated for depressive symptoms and morning cortisol levels.
C
Comparator
Individuals without diabetes
O
Outcome
Prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms, and association of cortisol levels with depressive symptom severity and glycemic controlsurrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 38% vs 13%

p-value: p=<0.001

In patients with type 2 diabetes, comorbid depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and associated with elevated cortisol levels and poorer glycemic control.

Limitations

  • Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference
  • Single-center setting with purposive sampling may limit generalizability
  • Residual confounding cannot be excluded
  • Cortisol was measured at a single morning time point, which may not capture diurnal variation
  • Exclusion of individuals with previously diagnosed anxiety or depression may underestimate the burden of depressive and anxiety symptoms

Cite This Study

Abbas et al. (2026) conducted a case-control in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (n=300). Type 2 diabetes mellitus vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on Clinically significant depressive symptoms (p=<0.001). Patients with type 2 diabetes had a significantly higher prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms compared to healthy controls (38% vs. 13%), and severe depressive symptoms were independently associated with hypercortisolism.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a4deabbd2ea289ef6284448https://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-026-00518-0
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share