Depressive symptoms among elderly diabetic patients in Vietnam

Huyen Thi Thanh Vu; Thanh Xuan Nguyen; Huong Thi Thu Nguyen; Tu Anh Le; Tam Ngoc Nguyen; Anh Trung Nguyen; Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen; Hoang Long Nguyen; Cuong Tat Nguyen; Bach Xuan Tran; Carl A Latkin; Thang Pham; Melvyn Wb Zhang; Roger Cm Ho

doi:10.2147/DMSO.S179071

Depressive symptoms among elderly diabetic patients in Vietnam

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2018 Oct 23:11:659-665. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S179071. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Huyen Thi Thanh Vu^{1

2}, Thanh Xuan Nguyen^{2

3}, Huong Thi Thu Nguyen^{1

2}, Tu Anh Le⁴, Tam Ngoc Nguyen^{1

2}, Anh Trung Nguyen², Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen^{1

2}, Hoang Long Nguyen⁵, Cuong Tat Nguyen⁶, Bach Xuan Tran^{7

8}, Carl A Latkin⁸, Thang Pham², Melvyn Wb Zhang⁹, Roger Cm Ho¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gerontology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam, vuthanhhuyen11@hmu.edu.vn.
² National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, vuthanhhuyen11@hmu.edu.vn.
³ Dinh Tien Hoang Institute of Medicine, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁴ Department of Endocrinology, Nghe An Endocrinology Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam.
⁵ Center of Excellence in Behavioral Medicine, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
⁶ Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
⁷ Department of Health Economics, Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁸ Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁹ Biomedical Global Institute of Healthcare Research & Technology (BIGHEART), National University of Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁰ Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Abstract

Background and aims: Depression and diabetes are becoming increasingly prevalent within the Vietnamese elderly population. However, the linkage between these health conditions in the Vietnamese elderly has not yet been fully investigated. This study aimed to assess the level of depressive symptoms and associated factors among elderly diabetic patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at National Geriatric Hospital in the elder patients aged ≥60 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale, with three categories: normal (0-4 points), mild (5-9 points), and moderate/severe depressive symptoms (≥10 points). We obtained information on the patient's sociodemographic, medical history, glycemic control (fasting plasma glucose and HbA_1c), daily activities (activities of daily living [ADLs] and instruments activities of daily living [IADLs] scale), and fall risks (Time Up and Go test). Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors associated with the presence of depressive symptoms.

Results: Among 412 patients, 236 (57.3%) had HbA_1c level at 7.0% or higher. There were 327 (79.4%) patients having depressive symptoms. The level of HbA_1c was significantly different between the depressive symptom group and the non-depressive symptom group (7.74% and 6.61%, P<0.05). The increased likelihood of having depressive symptoms was associated with having risk of falls (OR: 5.50; 95% CI: 1.88-16.11), suffering from 5-10 years of diabetes (OR: 2.74, 95% CI: 1.28-5.85), uncontrolled fasting plasma glucose (OR: 4.06, 95% CI: 1.81-9.12), and an impairment of IADLs (OR: 5.74, 95% CI: 2.24-14.7).

Conclusion: This study highlights a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly T2DM patients in Vietnam, suggesting an urgent need for screening depressive symptoms and providing mental health care services to this population promptly, particularly to those suffering from diabetes for a long period of time or co-functional impairments.

Keywords: Vietnam; depressive symptoms; diabetes; elder.