Relationship between loneliness and blood glucose control in diabetes

Abstract

Background The data of the International Diabetes Federation show that about 463 million people have diabetes. Better understanding of psychosocial aspects of life with this disease has become one of healthcare priorities in this group of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between loneliness and blood glucose control in diabetic patients. Methods The study included 250 hospitalized patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. The patients included in the study were those who had had diabetes for at least 1 year and received pharmacotherapy. Standardized Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA) and an analysis of patient test results including 10 indicators of blood glucose control were used for data collection. Correlation analysis, i.e. Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient (r, parametric method), was used for hypothesis verification. Results Less than one-fifth (16%) of the patients included in the study had higher loneliness index (based on the R-UCLA scale), and this loneliness index (total result) was significantly correlated with higher blood pressure. No significant correlations were demonstrated between loneliness and the other 9 indicators of blood glucose control. Conclusions Systolic blood pressure was significantly correlated with loneliness in patients with diabetes. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Loneliness: An Immunometabolic Syndrome

“…Loneliness has been associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) [153,154], hyperglycemia [26], and higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) [155,156] and fasting blood sugar (FBS) [25] levels. Although some studies have found no significant relation between HbA1c and loneliness [157][158][159]. Social under-stimulation was associated with higher HbA1c levels [160].…”

“…Higher triglyceride [26,162,163] and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (Chol) levels [26,162] were found in lonely people. However, total Chol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Chol, and non-HDL Chol levels were not correlated with loneliness [157]. In addition, lonely people had lower erythrocyte membrane proportions of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), which are omega-3 fatty acids [164].…”

“…Loneliness is associated with hypertension [26,155], with both increased systolic [21,69,78,157,177] and diastolic [21,88] blood pressures. Other elements of cardiovascular (CV) function such as heart rate, cardiac output, and cardiac contractility were found to be reduced, while total peripheral resistance was increased in loneliness [21].…”

COVID-19 and Diabetes: Unintended Medical, Financial and Societal Consequences

“…Evidence suggests that anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality became more prevalent and often worsened during COVID-19 as a result of the social isolation resulting from stay-at-home orders and closures have limited contact with family, friends and society [43]. Further, a recent study demonstrated that many adults with diabetes experience loneliness which is associated with other associated conditions such as lack of blood pressure control [44]. Although the study did not show a significant correlation between loneliness and blood glucose control, there is general concern because increased rates of mood disorders canalso lead to poor adherence of medications and worsening of risk factor control [45][46][47][48].…”

Assessment of Psychosocial Consequences of Covid-19 in Diabetes Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) is a viral contagious disease. It is a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus and it is named after its crownlike surface projections, which are seen in electron microscopy [1].…”