Effect of escitalopram on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with depression

Abstract

Background: Depression is more common in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) than pa­tients without type 2 DM. The objective of this study was to study the effect of escitalopram on gly­caemic control in type 2 diabetic patients with depression.

Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in Universal College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), Bhairahawa from September 2019 to March 2020. A total of 137 patients visiting internal medicine OPD and diagnosed with type 2 DM were included. The patients were then referred for psychiatric evaluation. Patient Health Questionnaire -9 was used for the assessment of depression by the con­sultant psychiatrist. A score of ≥5 was considered as depression. Participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 represented type 2 diabetic patients with depression (n=37) and group 2 without depression (n=100). Escitalopram 10mg daily was prescribed for group 1 patients, keeping the man­agement of DM unchanged for all. The fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels were measured at baseline, two weeks, four weeks, and six weeks interval, respectively, using the automated analyzer.

Results: After the treatment with escitalopram, there was significant (p<0.05) reduction in fasting and postprandial blood glucose level in subsequent weeks compared to baseline values. The fasting baseline median blood glucose level in group1 patients reduced from the value of 190.0 to 126.5 mg/ dl and postprandial median blood glucose level reduced from baseline value of 295.0 to 201.5 mg/dl at 6 weeks respectively.

Conclusions: Treatment with escitalopram showed a favorable glycemic profile in type 2 DM patients with depression.