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10. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung, 18. GAA-Jahrestagung

Deutsches Netzwerk Versorgungsforschung e. V.
Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie e. V.

20.-22.10.2011, Köln

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Depressive Symptoms in Late Life: Incidence, Persistence and Risk Factors – Results of the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA 75+)

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  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Melanie Luppa - Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
  • author Claudia Sikorski - Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
  • author Tobias Luck - Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
  • author Siegfried Weyerer - Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
  • author Hans-Helmut König - Department of Medical Sociology and Health Economics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
  • author Steffi G. Riedel-Heller - Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

10. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung. 18. GAA-Jahrestagung. Köln, 20.-22.10.2011. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2011. Doc11dkvf047

doi: 10.3205/11dkvf047, urn:nbn:de:0183-11dkvf0471

Published: October 12, 2011

© 2011 Luppa et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Background: With regard to the increasing importance of depressive symptoms in the elderly population, the present study aims to determine the incidence, risk factors and the course of depression in latest-life within a German population-based, representative study of individuals aged 75 years and older.

Materials and methods: As part of the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA 75+), a population-based sample of 1,265 individuals aged 75 years and older were interviewed on socio-demographic, clinical, and psychometric variables. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the CES-D (Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale; cut-off score >=23); cognitive state was assessed using the Mini-Mental Status Examination. Predictors of depressive symptoms were determined with Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results: The incidence of depression in the 860 participants without depression at baseline was 34 per 1,000 person-years (95% confidence interval 31–37). Female gender, a poor self-rated health status, stroke in the past, risky alcohol consumption, a poor social network, higher number of specialist’s visits, and functional impairment increased the risk of development of depression. The CES-D score at baseline was associated with a 20% increased risk per point increase. During the 8-year follow-up, we observed remission in 55%, an unstable course in 22% and a chronic course in 23% of the participants.

Conclusions: Since depressive symptoms are common in oldest age and associated with broad categories of risk factors, late-life depression represents an important public health issue. Employment of comprehensive geriatric assessment to ascertain depressive symptoms and its concomitants could help to improve treatment success.