Study Examines Efficacy of CBT for Fatigue in Type 1 Diabetes Patients
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may improve fatigue symptoms in adults with type 1 diabetes, according to a recent study.
The randomized-controlled trial included 120 patients who had type 1 diabetes for at least 1 year and chronic fatigue for at least 6 months, and was conducted at 4 large teaching hospitals and 1 university medical center in the Netherlands. Patients were divided evenly and randomly assigned to 5 months of CBT, which included a mix between face-to-face and web-based sessions, or a waiting list. Fatigue severity at 5 months was assessed as the primary outcome, and functional impairment, HbA1c and glucose variability were assessed as secondary outcomes.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Does Type 1 Diabetes Increase the Risk for Cognitive Decline?
Study: Is CBT Effective In Patients with Depression?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After 5 months, patients in the CBT group had significantly lower fatigue severity scores and functional impairment scores compared with patients in the waiting list group.
Glucose variability and HbA1c levels did not differ between groups or change over the study period.
Adverse events were reported in 5 patients in the CBT group and 7 patients in the wait list group, but were not considered related to the study intervention.
“Although our findings need to be confirmed in larger and longer-term studies, they suggest that CBT can effectively reduce fatigue severity and functional impairment in type 1 diabetes,” the researchers concluded.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Menting J, Tack CJ, van Bon AC, et al. Web-based cognitive behavioural therapy blended with face-to-face sessions for chronic fatigue in type 1 diabetes: a multicentre randomised controlled trial [published online April 24, 2017]. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30098-0.