Diabetes, prediabetes, and suicide deaths in a Japanese working population

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association of diabetes and prediabetes with suicide deaths in a Japanese working population.

Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted using data from the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study. During 8 years of follow-up, we identified 56 registered cases of suicide death that had information on fasting plasma glucose or glycated hemoglobin A1c at any health check-up during the past 3 years prior to suicide. For each case, we randomly selected five controls matched for age, sex, and worksite. We used the latest health check-up data for analysis. We defined diabetes status based on the American Diabetes Association criteria and used a conditional logistic regression model to investigate the association.

Results: Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for suicide death were 0.67 (0.32-1.41) and 3.53 (1.05-11.91) for prediabetes and diabetes, respectively, compared to normoglycemia. Similar results were obtained when diabetes status was exclusively defined by the fasting plasma glucose or glycated hemoglobin A1c level.

Conclusion: Diabetes, but not prediabetes, was associated with a higher risk of suicide death, compared with normoglycemia, among a Japanese working population.

Keywords: Case–control study; Diabetes; Japan; Prediabetes; Suicide.