Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is primarily due to lifestyle factors and genetics. Physical and psychological stresses contribute to the development of hyperglycemia in the setting of type 2 DM.

Aims & Objective: To study the association of duration of illness and compliance with stress levels in patients with type 2 DM.

Materials and Methods: This pilot study was carried out at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur, Tamil Nadu on 10 patients (5 men and 5 women) with type 2 DM. After obtaining informed, written consent from the patients, we recorded body mass index, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels.

Results: Statistical analysis was done using Pearson’s correlation, which showed a significant correlation between HbA1C levels and PSS scores (P = 0.001) and a nonsignificant (P = 0.85) correlation between duration of DM and PSS scores.

Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that stress not only contributes to the development of lifestyle disorders such as DM but also significantly affects the management and compliance.

Key words: Compliance; Stress; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus