Investigation of Eating Disorders and Hypoglycemia Awareness in People with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate type 2 diabetics in terms of eating disorders (ED) and hypoglycemia awareness (HA). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with type 2 diabetics who applied to the Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic of a tertiary hospital between January and June 2022 and met the inclusion criteria. The Descriptive Information Form, Munich Eating and Feeding Disorder Questionnaire (Munich ED‐quest), and The Gold Questionnaire (GQ) were used to obtain data. Measured fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Results: Of the 148 participants with an average age of 53.56±7.61 years (min: 28-max: 65), 62.8% (n=93) were female. Munich ED‐(FPG) scores were 22.49±19.68 for overall condition. Subscale scores were 5.12±11.50 for “preoccupation with figure and weight”, 17.16±10.93 for “bingeing and vomiting”, and 0.22±0.95 for “inappropriate compensatory behavior”. The average GQ score of participants who stated that they had previously experienced hypoglycemia (n=78; 52.7%) was 1.50±1.03 and impaired HA was detected in 7.7%. No significant correlation was found between GQ and Munich ED‐quest scores. A significant relationship was observed between body mass index (BMI) and age and Munich ED‐quest total score (r=0.215, p=0.009; r=-0.274, p=0.001, respectively). A significant difference was found between gender and Munich ED‐quest total score (p=0.007). Conclusion: The overall risk of ED was found to be low in people with type 2 diabetes. However, binge eating was the type of ED with the highest risk. Impaired HA was detected in 7.7% of those who stated that they had previously experienced hypoglycemia. Although no significant relationship was found between ED and HA in our study population, the possibility of ED development over time should be taken into consideration. Especially patients at risk for ED (young people, women and those with high BMI) should be followed more closely in this context.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• hypoglycemia
• hypoglycemia awareness
• eating disorders