Diabetes Rates in Patients with Serious Mental Illness in North West Wales
Author Information
Author(s): Le Noury Joanna, Khan Afshan, Harris Margaret, Wong Winnie, Williams Dawn, Roberts Tony, Tranter Richard, Healy David
Primary Institution: Department of Psychiatry, North West Wales NHS Trust
Hypothesis
Is there a link between diabetes and serious mental illness in historical and contemporary cohorts?
Conclusion
No association was found between diabetes and serious mental illness, but there may be an association between diabetes and treatment.
Supporting Evidence
- The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes among patients with psychoses at time of first admission in both historical and contemporary samples was 0%.
- The incidence of diabetes remained 0% in the historical sample throughout 15 years of follow-up.
- The 15 year prevalence is likely to be over 8% in the contemporary sample.
Takeaway
Doctors looked at how many people with serious mental illness had diabetes a long time ago and now. They found that while no one had diabetes back then, more people are getting it now, possibly because of the medicine they take.
Methodology
Analysis of two epidemiologically complete databases of individuals admitted for mental illness.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the study being limited to service contacts and not including all patients with serious mental illness.
Limitations
The study only includes service contacts and does not survey all cases of psychosis or diabetes in the wider population.
Participant Demographics
The population was predominantly ethnically homogenous, with over 80% having traditional Welsh surnames.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% C.I 2.7, 177.8
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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