Depression symptoms and cognitive-deficit in a population aged 60 years and older in a medium-sized city in São Paulo state, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Gomes, José Evandro Marques
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Ruiz, Tânia, Corrente, José Eduardo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.rbmfc.org.br/rbmfc/article/view/90
• topic: Health of the Elderly; Depression; Mental Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Geriatric Assessment; Salud del Anciano; Depresión; Trastornos Mentales; Manifestaciones Neurocomportamentales; Evaluación Geriátrica; Saúde do Idoso; Depressão; Transtornos Mentais; Manifestações Neurocomportamentais; Avaliação Geriátrica

Introduction: the world population is ageing, and Brazil follows this tendency, which requires the reorganization of society for care provision to older people. In such tendency, an increasing number of cases of depression and dementia is observed in addition to their association with other chronic-degenerative diseases. Objective: to estimate the prevalence of depression and cognitive-deficit symptoms in a population aged 60 years and older, residing in a middle-sized city in São Paulo state and to associate the population with other more prevalent chronic degenerative diseases. Methods: cross-sectional study on 364 older people using the following instruments: socio-demographic and morbidity, Mini Mental State Examination, Yesavage Scale, the Activities of Daily Living Scale, and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale. The following were performed: statistical analyses of the instruments’ score frequencies; presentation and summarization of the variables; and the possible associations between depression/dementia by applying the X2 test followed by fitting of a logistic regression model for ordinal data. Results: the suspected depression was found in 44% (160), and cognitive deficit was observed in 38.7% (141) aged. About 75% of the individuals with suspicion of depression or cognitive deficit had at least another chronic pathology. It was possible to establish statistically significant associations between suspected depression and IADL (p<0.0001; OR=7.59; CI=3.361-7.139) and cognitive deficit and IADL (p=0.0007; OR=3.967; CI=1.788-8.799). No associations were found between age, marital status, schooling, placement in the work market, retirement or income. Conclusion: male and female older individuals are vulnerable to diseases, such as depression and dementia. On the other hand, depression symptoms and cognitive deficit were associated with the score of compromised older individuals, according to IADL.