Carmen Dobjanschi

Background: Psychological distress is increasingly recognized as an important determinant of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with diabetes mellitus (DM). However, data quantifying this burden in Eastern European populations remains limited. Objectives: This study aimed to assess psychological distress—defined as anxiety, depressive symptoms, or perceived stress—and HRQoL among Romanian adults with DM compared with healthy controls, and to explore potential differences between diabetes subtypes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 400 adults (201 with DM and 199 healthy controls). Psychological distress was evaluated using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y1, STAI-Y2), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Holmes–Rahe Stress Scale, while HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale. Group comparisons were performed using appropriate parametric or non-parametric tests, with additional multivariable analyses adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index. Results: Adults with diabetes exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress, and lower HRQoL, compared with controls (all p < 0.001). These differences remained statistically significant after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. Exploratory analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between diabetes subtypes, although subgroup comparisons were limited by sample size. Conclusions: Psychological distress is highly prevalent among Romanian adults with DM and is associated with poorer self-perceived health-related quality of life. The results support the relevance of incorporating systematic psychosocial assessment into routine diabetes care.

Background and Objectives: Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) strongly linked to a nearly five-fold higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are a significant cohort in which these assessments have particular relevance to the increased cardiovascular risk inherent in the condition. Materials and Methods: This study aimed to explore the subtle correlation between the Ewing test, Sudoscan-cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy score, and cardiovascular risk calculated using SCORE 2 Diabetes in individuals with T2DM. The methodology involved detailed assessments including Sudoscan tests to evaluate sudomotor function and various cardiovascular reflex tests (CART). The cohort consisted of 211 patients diagnosed with T2DM with overweight or obesity without established ASCVD, aged between 40 to 69 years. Results: The prevalence of CAN in our group was 67.2%. In the study group, according SCORE2-Diabetes, four patients (1.9%) were classified with moderate cardiovascular risk, thirty-five (16.6%) with high risk, and one hundred seventy-two (81.5%) with very high cardiovascular risk. Conclusions: On multiple linear regression, the SCORE2-Diabetes algorithm remained significantly associated with Sudoscan CAN-score and Sudoscan Nephro-score and Ewing test score. Testing for the diagnosis of CAN in very high-risk patients should be performed because approximately 70% of them associate CAN. Increased cardiovascular risk is associated with sudomotor damage and that Sudoscan is an effective and non-invasive measure of identifying such risk.

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) strongly linked to a nearly five-fold higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are a significant cohort in which these assessments have particular relevance to the increased cardiovascular risk inherent in the condition. This study aimed to explore the subtle correlation between the Ewing test, Sudoscan-cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy score, and cardiovascular risk calculated using SCORE 2 Diabetes in individuals with T2DM. The cohort consisted of 211 patients diagnosed with T2DM with overweight or obesity without established ASCVD, aged between 40 to 69 years. The prevalence of CAN in our group was 67.2%. In the study group, according SCORE2-Diabetes, four patients (1.9%) were classified with moderate cardiovascular risk, thirty-five (16.6%) with high risk, and one hundred seventy-two (81.5%) with very high cardiovascular risk. On multiple linear regression, the SCORE2-Diabetes algorithm remained significantly associated with Sudoscan CAN-score and Sudoscan Nephro-score and Ewing test score. Testing for the diagnosis of CAN in very high-risk patients should be performed because approximately 70% of them associate CAN. Increased cardiovascular risk is associated with sudomotor damage and that Sudoscan is an effective and non-invasive measure of identifying such risk.