1. Home>
2. Specialties>
3. General Medicine>
4. Summary and Comment

Diabetes, Depression, and Pregnancy

Diabetes was associated with perinatal depression in low-income mothers.

Growing attention to depression during and after pregnancy — and to the association between depression and diabetes in the general population — led investigators to conduct a retrospective analysis of the relation between these two conditions in pregnant women who were enrolled in Medicaid for at least 6 months before and 12 months after giving birth. More than 11,000 women (mean age, 27; about 46% black) were assessed for depression and diabetes based on coded diagnoses or prescription of relevant medications.

Risk for perinatal depression in women who had prepregnancy or gestational diabetes was 15%, compared with 8% in women who did not have diabetes. In an analysis adjusted for age, race, gestational age at delivery, and cesarean delivery, risk for perinatal depression was about 80% higher in patients who had diabetes than in those who did not. In women with diabetes and no evidence of prenatal depression, risk for postpartum depression was 69% higher than in women without diabetes or prenatal depression.

Comment: As the authors note, adjusting for all confounders (e.g., family history of depression, body weight, neonatal complications) is impossible in a retrospective study such as this. However, the association between diabetes and depression is consistent with findings in the general population, and provides a marker to help clinicians monitor for prenatal and postpartum depression in selected subgroups of pregnant women.

— Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine February 26, 2009

Citation(s):

Kozhimannil KB et al. Association between diabetes and perinatal depression among low-income mothers. JAMA 2009 Feb 25; 301:842.

• Original article (Subscription may be required)
• Medline abstract (Free)