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Association between depression and mortality in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

TitleAssociation between depression and mortality in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2000
AuthorsSchulz, R, Beach, SR, Ives, DG, Martire, LM, Ariyo, AA, Kop, WJ
JournalArch Intern Med
Volume160
Issue12
Pagination1761-8
Date Published2000 Jun 26
ISSN0003-9926
KeywordsAged, Alcohol Drinking, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Female, Health Status Indicators, Humans, Male, Motivation, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Smoking, Socioeconomic Factors, United States
Abstract<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Studies of the association between depressive symptoms and mortality in elderly populations have yielded contradictory findings. To address these discrepancies, we test this association using the most extensive array of sociodemographic and physical health control variables ever studied, to our knowledge, in a large population-based sample of elderly individuals.</p><p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To examine the relation between baseline depressive symptoms and 6-year all-cause mortality in older persons, systematically controlling for sociodemographic factors, clinical disease, subclinical disease, and health risk factors.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>A total of 5201 men and women aged 65 years and older from 4 US communities participated in the study. Depressive symptoms and 4 categories of covariates were assessed at baseline. The primary outcome measure was 6-year mortality.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Of the 5201 participants, 984 (18.9%) died within 6 years. High baseline depressive symptoms were associated with a higher mortality rate (23.9%) than low baseline depression scores (17.7%) (unadjusted relative risk [RR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.63). Depression was also an independent predictor of mortality when controlling for sociodemographic factors (RR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.23-1.66), prevalent clinical disease (RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.07-1.45), subclinical disease indicators (RR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.15-1.58), or biological or behavioral risk factors (RR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.22-1.65). When the best predictors from all 4 classes of variables were included as covariates, high depressive symptoms remained an independent predictor of mortality (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.06-1.46).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>High levels of depressive symptoms are an independent risk factor for mortality in community-residing older adults. Motivational depletion may be a key underlying mechanism for the depression-mortality effect.</p>
DOI10.1001/archinte.160.12.1761
Alternate JournalArch Intern Med
PubMed ID10871968
Grant ListR01 MH 46015 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 MH52247 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
T32 MH19986 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States