The Effect of Symptom Clusters on Quality of Life Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the collective effect of a symptom cluster (depression, anxiety, fatigue, and impaired sleep quality) at baseline on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) over time.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of 302 patients with T2DM who presented with both hypertension and hyperlipidemia. All of the participants were enrolled in a randomized controlled intervention study testing strategies to improve medication adherence. The psychological symptoms and QOL were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients based on the severity of symptoms at baseline.

Results: Hierarchical cluster analysis identified 4 patient subgroups: all low severity, mild, moderate, and all high severity. There were significant differences in patients' QOL overall among the 4 subgroups. Compared with the all-low-severity subgroup, subgroups with higher severity of the 4 symptoms had poorer QOL across all 3 time points. QOL was most impacted by trait anxiety across the 3 time points.

Conclusion: QOL was significantly impacted by psychological symptom clusters among patients with T2DM. Healthcare providers should not neglect psychological symptoms that patients experience. It is important to assess and manage these symptoms to improve QOL among patients with diabetes.