NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF CARDIO - DIABETES

07-MAY-2009

Diabetes Often Affects Women’s Sex-life

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Over one third of women with type 1 diabetes have some form of sexual difficulty, according to a new study.

The findings also suggest that depression is a key factor linked to the problems with sexuality for such women. In contrast to what has been shown in men, however, complications from diabetes itself do not have a significant impact.

The study, reported in the medical journal Diabetes Care, involved 652 women with type 1 diabetes. After 10-years, the participants completed a sexual function questionnaire and underwent a physical examination, an evaluation of mood, and laboratory testing.

Thirty-five percent of the women were classified as having sexual dysfunction, Dr. Paul Enzlin, from Leuven University in Belgium, and colleagues found.

Problems reported by these women included loss of libido by 57 percent, problems with orgasm by 51 percent, reduced lubrication by 47 percent, reduced arousal by 38 percent, and pain by 21 percent.

On initial analysis, sexual dysfunction was linked to older age, not being married, being postmenopausal, having circulatory problems, and depression. After taking into account various other conditions that could affect these associations, only depression and marital status were significantly related to sexual dysfunction.

"Similar to the annual evaluation of diabetes complications," Enzlin’s team concludes, "women with type 1 diabetes should also be regularly queried about the presence of depressive symptoms, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction."

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, May 2009.

20-MAY-2009

Antidepressants May Not Work in Heart Patients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with depression, who also have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or other risk factors for heart disease, may not respond to antidepressant drug therapy, according to research reported today at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco.

Among 187 adults hospitalized with depression, 43 (23%) failed to respond to antidepressant treatment and were treated with electroconvulsive therapy.

According to study presenter Dr. Dale D’Mello of Michigan State University in Lansing, and co-investigator Dr. Alric Hawkins of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, people who did not respond to antidepressant medication were far more likely than those that did respond to have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or to be obese.

The average number of cardiovascular risk factors was significantly higher among non-responders than among responders.

Roughly half of non-responders reported the presence of five cardiovascular disease risk factors.