Mood disorders may be precursor to diabetes in Latinos, study finds

NEW YORK — Such mood disorders as anxiety and depression may be a precursor to diabetes in Latinos, according to a study by University of California at San Diego researchers scheduled for presentation at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in Honolulu.

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, the researchers found that while Latinos have higher-than-average rates of diabetes, they also seem to have higher-than-average risk of having both diabetes and a mood disorder.

The researchers studied medical records of 129 Latino adults from a clinic in Imperial County, Calif., to see whether they developed diabetes or a mood disorder first. For those with diabetes and depression, 54% of men and 59% of women developed diabetes first, compared with 24% and 29% who developed depression first, respectively. Among those with an anxiety disorder, 54% of men and 55% of women developed diabetes first, compared with a respective 45% and 39% who developed anxiety first.

The researchers wrote that the reasons for diabetes and mood disorders appearing together were unclear, but that those with mood disorders should be monitored to prevent the onset of diabetes or treat it early if it does occur, according to the Times.