275
Views
18
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

High incidence of clinically relevant depressive symptoms in vulnerable persons of 75 years or older living in the community

, , , , , & show all
Pages 828-833 | Received 20 Aug 2009, Accepted 07 Mar 2010, Published online: 23 Jul 2010
 

Abstract

Objectives: Clinically relevant depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in people who are 75 years of age or older. However, very old people with a vulnerable health status are under-represented in studies focussing on incidence and risk factors, while the risk of developing depressive symptoms is expected to be very high in this group. The incidence rates of clinically relevant depressive symptoms and their predictors were investigated in a vulnerable elderly population.

Methods: In a community-based cohort, 651 vulnerable elderly (75+) people were identified by means of the COOP-WONCA charts (Dartmouth Coop Functional Health Assessment Charts/World Organisation of Family Doctors). To study the incidence of clinically relevant symptoms of depression and their predictors, 266 people with no symptoms (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D score <16 at baseline) were selected and measured again at six and 18 months. The incidence of clinically relevant symptoms of depression was defined as a CES-D score ≥16, in combination with at least a five-point change between measurements. Logistic regression analyses were applied to determine risk indicators.

Results: After 18 months, the incidence rate of all clinically relevant symptoms of depression was 48% (95% confidence interval, CI 44.2–51.8). No specific risk factors were identified within this population.

Conclusion: Our estimates of the incidence of depressive symptoms were considerably higher than those previously found in elderly populations living in the community. A vulnerable health status is associated with a high risk of depressive symptoms.

Acknowledgements

This study was conducted in the Department of General Practice at the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This work was financial supported by the Foundation to Improve Primary Care Medicine at the VU Medical Center, and The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). H. van Hout collected data for this study, H. van Hout and E. Dozeman performed the statistical analysis, E. Dozeman wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 688.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.