Background: The prevalence of depression in diabetic patients is 2-3 times more than general population. The quality of life (QOL) and glycemic control are two important outcome measures of diabetes management. The aim of this research is to study the relationship between depression, glycemic control and QOL in a sample of Iranian diabetic patients.

Methods: One hundred diabetic patients who were referred to diabetes clinic of Dr. Shariati Hospital were included in the study consecutively. The depression subscale of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) were used to determine depression. The World Health Organization Quality of life brief version questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to measure QOL. The status of glycemic control was evaluated through measuring HbA1c. Other measured variables included:  demographic variables, smoking, diabetes type, body mass index, duration and complications of diabetes and previous history of depression. The linear regression method was implemented to analyze the data.

Results: Depression was observed in 28% of the patients. Glycemic control had a reverse significant correlation with diabetes complications. No significant relationship was found between HbA1c and scores of HADS-D. WHOQOL-BREF subscales scores had no significant relationship with glycemic control. There was a significant relation between scores of HADS-D and WHOQOL-BREF subscales.

Conclusion: Improving quality of life (QOL) is one of the main outcomes in the management of diabetes. According to the result of this study, depression had a prominent relationship with QOL. Thus, careful management of depression may be necessary to improve QOL of diabetic patients.