Relationship of weight and eating disorders in type 2 diabetic patients: Amulticenter study

Objective: Previous work suggested that the degree of psychiatric symptomat ology evidenced in overweight individuals was related to the severity of bi nge eating problems and not related to the severity of overweight. In a mul ticenter study, we investigated the relationship between weight and eating disorders (EDs) in a sample of type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Three hun dred twenty-two patients with type 2 diabetes were stratified to various we ight categories. Glycemic control, eating and body-related psychological pr oblems, self-esteem, depressive, and general psychopathology of diabetic pa tients with and without an ED were compared. Results: Eighty-one percent of all type 2 diabetic patients were overweight or obese. Prevalence rates of EDs ranged from 6.5% to 9.0%. Binge eating disorder was the most diagnosed ED. There was a strong relationship between body mass index (BMI) and eati ng disturbance-related variables and a weak or no relationship between BMI and depression or general psychopathologic variables. Patients with an ED s howed a greater psychopathology compared to patients without an ED. The dia gnosis of an ED did not seem to have a specific influence on glycemic contr ol. Conclusions: Our results in a type 2 diabetic sample indicate that weig ht might have an impact on body and eating- related psychological distress in type 2 diabetic patients, but is of minor or no importance for depressiv e symptomatology, lower self-esteem, and general psychiatric symptomatology . Type 2 diabetic patients with an ED, however, suffer from considerable ps ychiatric symptomatology. (C) 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.