ECE2022 Eposter Presentations Diabetes, Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition (318 abstracts)
Taher Sfar University Hospital, Endocrinology Department, Mahdia, Tunisia
Introduction: Diabetes distress (DD) refers to the emotional burdens and worries, often hidden, that are part of the spectrum of the patient experience when managing a chronic and demanding disease like diabetes. The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of DD and its clinical determinants in type 2 diabetic patients.
Patients and methods: Cross-sectional study conducted on 92 type 2 diabetic patients who consulted on an outpatient basis between April and June 2021. DD was assessed using the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS).
Results: The average duration of diabetes was 10.35 years. 69.6% of patients presented with moderate to severe distress related to diabetes. The dimension of lifestyle distress had the highest score among the DDS subscales. There was a correlation between age, level of education, social coverage, rate of follow-up, HbA1c level and DD. HbA1c levels and rate of follow-up were the main predictors of DD.
Discussion and conclusion: The results of this work underscore the importance of identifying DD in type 2 diabetics. High levels of DD have been significantly associated with poor glycemic control, poor diabetes self-management, and poor quality of life. More work is needed to better explore and manage psychological comorbidity in type 2 diabetics.