Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40536118›Full record

ArticleDiabetes, obesity & metabolism2025

Type 2 diabetes and depression via microvascular dysfunction, neurodegeneration, inflammation, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and arterial stiffness.

Indra L M Steens, Miranda T Schram, Alfons J H M Houben, Tos T J M Berendschot, Jacobus F A Jansen, Walter H Backes, Annemarie Koster, Hans Bosma, Simone J P M Eussen, Bastiaan E de Galan and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Indra L M SteensCARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9025-2011
Miranda T SchramCARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Alfons J H M HoubenCARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Tos T J M BerendschotDepartment of Ophthalmology, MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jacobus F A JansenSchool of Mental Health and Neuroscience, MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Walter H BackesSchool of Mental Health and Neuroscience, MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Annemarie KosterCAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, UM, The Netherlands.
Hans BosmaCAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, UM, The Netherlands.
Simone J P M EussenCARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Bastiaan E de GalanCARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Thomas T van SlotenDepartment of Vascular Medicine, Diabetology and Endocrinology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Funding

CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary CareCardiovascular CenterCARIM School for Cardiovascular DiseasesDutch Diabetes Research FoundationDutch Ministry of Economic Affairs 31O.041European Regional Development FundHealth Foundation LimburgImedos Health GmbHJanssen-Cilag B.VNovo Nordisk Farma B.VNUTRIM School for Nutrition and Translational Research in MetabolismPearl String Initiative DiabetesSanofi-Aventis Netherlands B.VStichting AnnadalStichting De Weijerhorst
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsType 2 diabetes increases the risk of depression, but the mechanisms underlying this association are incompletely understood. We investigated whether microvascular dysfunction, neurodegeneration, low-grade inflammation, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and arterial stiffness, pathologies that are more common in diabetes, explain, or mediate the association between type 2 diabetes and incident clinically relevant depressive symptoms. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe used prospective data from The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort study. Diabetes status and potential mediators were assessed at baseline. Clinically relevant depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score ≥10) were assessed at baseline and each year during a median of 8.1 (IQR 4.2, 10.1) years of follow-up. Mediation analysis was employed to investigate the mediating effect of microvascular dysfunction (retinal, blood and MRI biomarkers), neurodegeneration (retina and MRI biomarkers), low-grade inflammation (blood biomarkers), AGEs (skin and blood biomarkers) and arterial stiffness (tonometry and ultrasound biomarkers).

resultsData of 6091 participants (age, 59.4 years [SD 8.6]; 51.3% women; 23.6% type 2 diabetes) were available. Type 2 diabetes was associated with a higher incidence of clinically relevant depressive symptoms (HR:1.37; 95% CI 1.13, 1.65). This association was partly mediated by microvascular dysfunction (proportion mediated:10.4% [95% CI:3.6%, 17.2%]); neurodegeneration (proportion mediated:12.1% [95% CI: 3.9%, 20.3%]); AGEs (proportion mediated:5.4% [95% CI: 3.0%, 8.8%]); and arterial stiffness (proportion mediated:8.4% [95% CI: 3.3%, 13.5%]); but not by low-grade inflammation.

conclusionsThe association between type 2 diabetes and a higher risk of clinically relevant depressive symptoms is partly mediated by microvascular dysfunction, neurodegeneration, AGEs and arterial stiffness.

Indexed as

DepressionDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2Diabetic AngiopathiesGlycation End Products, AdvancedInflammationNeurodegenerative DiseasesVascular StiffnessAgedBiomarkersFemaleHumansMaleMicrovesselsMiddle AgedNetherlandsProspective StudiesBiomarkersGlycation End Products, Advancedcardiovascular diseasediabetes complicationspopulation studytype 2 diabetes

Identifiers

PMID40536118
PMCPMC12326927

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.