According to a recent study released by American researchers, children or adolescents with diabetes may suffer from depression, and they should be screened for depressive symptoms.

As reported by Xinhua News Agency in Washington on April 3, the study indicates that a lack of control over the condition and frequent visits to the emergency room can trigger depressive moods. Dr. Jane Lawrence, the lead author of the study, suggested that pediatricians and medical institutions "might consider screening young diabetes patients who struggle with blood sugar control for depressive symptoms."

The "SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth" study involved 2,672 diabetes patients aged between 10 and 21, with an average disease duration of 5 years. Most of them had type 1 diabetes, where the body's insulin-producing cells are completely destroyed by an erroneous immune response, and 371 had type 2 diabetes, typically characterized by the body's inability to properly use insulin, often leading to obesity.

The study found that 14% of the participants exhibited mild depressive symptoms, while 8.6% had moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Generally, females experienced more severe depression than males.

For male participants, type 2 diabetes was more likely to cause depressive symptoms than type 1 diabetes. For females, the presence of other diseases besides diabetes was more likely to lead to depressive symptoms.

Lawrence noted that this study is the largest of its kind conducted on American children with diabetes to date.

Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 06/ 04/ 04/ YM- 547952. htm