Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Patient Surveys: Day 24

It's been a short three months and the final days of my patient surveys are approaching. Since my last post on Day 18, I have interviewed ten patients bringing my total to sixty subjects.



Patients 51 - 60 are a mix of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. As a whole, there's nothing particularly erratic or noteworthy about their data  most were Type 2 diabetics, had relatively decent HbA1c levels, and had very low PHQ-9 scores. Patient 54, however, is distinguished by his very high HbA1c of 10.20%. His PHQ-9 score, though, is just as low as his relatively-normal-HbA1c counterparts (PHQ-9 score = 0). He's not on antidepressants either. On Day 2, I pointed out how Type 1 diabetics obviously have a more difficult time maintaining glycemic control than Type 2 diabetic, since Type 1 diabetics are insulin-dependent. In other words, an HbA1c of 10.20% in a Type 2 diabetic (as is the case with Patient 54) is not necessarily as severe as an HbA1c of 10.20% in a Type 1 diabetic. Perhaps the reason why Patient 54 shows no symtoms of depression, whether it be persistent fatigue or feelings of hopelessness when it comes to controlling their diabetes, is because his lack of control is merely not severe enough to warrant depression.

Lalani.

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