Exploring the risk of glycemic variability in non-diabetic depressive individuals: a cross-sectional GlyDep pilot study

BACKGROUND: Data on the correlation between glycemic variability and depression in nondiabetic patients remain limited. Considering the link between increased glycemic variability and cardiovascular risks, this relationship could be significant in depressed patients. METHODS: In this single-center pilot study, we utilized Flash Glucose Monitoring (Abbott Libre Pro) to study glycemic variability. The CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies– Depression) scale was employed to measure depression levels. Based on CES-D scores, patients were classified into two groups: those with scores ≥ 33 and those with scores < 33. We analyzed various glycemic variability indices, including HBGI, CONGA, ADDR, MAGE, MAG, LI, and J-Index, employing the EasyGV version 9.0 software. SPSS (version 28) facilitated the data analysis. RESULTS: We screened patients with depression visiting the department of psychiatry, FGM was inserted in eligible patients of both the groups which yielded a data of 196 patient-days (98 patient-days for CES-D ≥ 33 and 98 patient-days for CES-D < 33). The glycemic variability indices CONGA (mg/dl), (76.48 ± 11.9 vs. 65.08 ± 7.12) (p = 0.048), MAGE (mg/dl) (262.50 ± 25.65 vs. 227.54 ± 17.72) (p = 0.012), MODD (mg/dl) (18.59 ± 2.77 vs. 13.14 ± 2.39) (p = 0.002), MAG(mg/dl) (92.07 ± 6.24vs. 63.86 ± 9.38) (p = <0.001) were found to be significantly higher in the CES-D ≥ 33 group. CONCLUSION: Patients with more severe depressive symptoms, as suggested by CES-D ≥ 33, had higher glycemic variability.