The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Original Article

Children with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders

Authors: Whitney Morgan Block, BS, Gavin J. Putzer, MD, PhD, MPH, Juan R. Jaramillo, PhD

Abstract

Objective: Type 2 diabetes is a common disease, afflicting more than 20 million Americans. Psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, have been previously correlated with diabetes.

Methods: The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of psychiatric illnesses in a type 2 pediatric diabetic cohort and to examine if there were any significant demographic differences between diabetic children with psychiatric disorders and diabetic children without psychiatric disorders. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients from two southeastern children's hospitals.

Results: In our study, 26.2% (67 of 256) of diabetic patients were diagnosed with neuropsychiatric disorders (NPD). A comparison between gender frequencies of affected and unaffected patients suggested a statistical difference (P = 0.009). It appears that pediatric diabetic males are affected with NPD to a greater extent than females. Patients diagnosed with neurological disorders showed a body mass index average of 39.03, which was statistically different from non-diagnosed NPD patients (P = 0.0313).

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the frequency of psychiatric disorders in a cohort of pediatric type 2 diabetics in the southeastern US. This study provides information regarding children afflicted with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the frequency of neuropsychiatric morbidities. This information may be useful for crafting future health policies and quality improvement interventions.

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