2020 Volume 63 Issue 8 Pages 515-520
It is important to monitor diabetes-related distress in daily practice in association with poor self-care and consequent worsening of glycemic control. The presence of subjective symptoms in a patient is expected to be positively associated with diabetes-related distress, but few studies have examined this relationship. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 228 patients at their first visit to an endocrine out-patient clinic. Diabetes-related distress was evaluated by the Problem Areas in Diabetes Survey (PAID), and the effect of specific subjective symptoms on the PAID score was evaluated by a logistic regression analysis. A multivariate analysis incorporating gender, age, and HbA1c revealed that having two or more of the symptoms of thirst, polyuria, malaise, and weight loss was associated with an increased PAID score (odds ratio: 3.2; 95 % confidence interval: 1.5-6.4; p = 0.002). Patients with more symptoms of hyperglycemia may benefit from psychological intervention to relieve their feelings of diabetes-associated burden in addition to the usual glycemic control.
