Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often at a higher risk of type-2 diabetes. Although improvement in PTSD has been linked to improved hypertension and physical health, its effect on type-2 diabetes isn’t known. This study aims to determine whether a reduction in clinically meaningful PTSD symptoms is associated with a lowered risk of type-2 diabetes.
This retrospective cohort study included a total of 5,916 patients with received PTSD specialty care. The eligible patients had 1 or more PTSD Checklist (PCL) scores of 50 or above. The reduction in PCL scores during a 12-month period was considered. The primary outcome of the study was incident type-2 diabetes diagnosed during the follow-up.
The findings suggested that the age-adjusted cumulative incidence of type-2 diabetes was 2.6% in patients with a clinically meaningful PCL score reduction, compared with 5.9% in patients without a clinically meaningful PCL score reduction. After controlling for confounding, the researchers identified that patients with a clinically meaningful PCL score reduction were at a lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes compared with those without a clinically significant reduction.
The research concluded that individuals with a clinically meaningful reduction in PTSD symptoms (PCL score) were at a lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2747848?resultClick=1
