Which clinical factors and biochemical parameters are associated with late-life major depression?
Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract
; 27(4): 359-366, 2023 Nov.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37755139
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Late-life major depression (MD) is a frequent and high-cost psychiatric disorder. Our purpose was to detect clinical and biological factors possibly associated with this condition to better prevent and treat it.METHODS:
We recruited 343 patients, consecutively admitted for a Major Depressive Episode to the inpatient clinic of Policlinico of Milan and ASST Monza, Italy. A large set of clinical and biochemical variables was collected from clinical charts. Univariate analyses were performed both dividing the sample into two groups (age < or ≥65) and considering age as a continuous quantitative variable. Regression analyses were then performed considering as independent variables only those statistically significant at univariate analyses.RESULTS:
Patients aged ≥ 65 resulted in having longer duration of illness, shorter duration of last antidepressant therapy, higher number of antidepressants assumed in the past, higher frequency of treatment-resistant depression, higher frequency of overweight/obesity and diabetes. As for biochemical parameters, patients ≥ 65 showed lower total plasmatic proteins and albumin, higher uric acid and creatinine.CONCLUSIONS:
These preliminary results suggest less effectiveness of antidepressants, more susceptibility to metabolic disorders and poor nutritional status in patients with late-life depression; such aspects may consequently be taken into consideration for a proper therapeutic approach. KEY POINTSDepression in late life seems to be associated with poorer response to antidepressants;Clinicians should prefer compounds with minimal pharmacokinetic interactions and less risk of side effects including metabolic ones;The poor nutritional status and the higher risk of metabolic disorders in older patients points out the importance of proper diet and healthy lifestyle in this group of subjects;Further studies are needed to confirm the results of this research.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Depressive Disorder, Major
/
Metabolic Diseases
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italia