One-third of patients with bipolar disorders abnormally metabolized glucose, in a study of outpatients from two university hospitals in Germany.
The study included 85 euthymic patients with bipolar disorders, who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, laboratory screening, and clinical measurements.
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Seven percent of the patients tested positive for diabetes mellitus, while 27% of the patients showed prediabetic abnormalities, including abnormalities in glucose metabolism. Patients in both of these groups had significantly lower quality of life and global functioning.
Additional study findings were that higher body mass index, leptin, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein levels significantly increased the likelihood of an individual having pre-diabetes abnormalities or diabetes.
Low sample size was a weakness of the study, according to Karolina Leopold and her colleagues.
Read the full study in the Journal of Affective Disorders (doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.041).