The relationship between generalized anxiety disorder, depression and mortality in old age.
BACKGROUND
The association between depression and an increased risk of death in elderly persons has been established in both clinical and community studies. Co-occurrence of depression and generalized anxiety has been shown to represent more severe and more chronic psychopathology. However, little is known about the relation between generalized anxiety disorder, mixed anxiety-depression (generalized anxiety disorder and depression) and excess mortality in the elderly.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether generalized anxiety and mixed anxiety-depression are associated with mortality.


METHODS
Generalized anxiety disorder, mixed anxiety-depression and depression were assessed in 4051 older persons with a ten-year follow-up of community death registers. The mortality risk of generalized anxiety, depression and mixed anxiety-depression was calculated after adjustment for demographic variables, physical illness, functional disabilities and social vulnerability.


RESULTS
In generalized anxiety disorder and mixed anxiety-depression no significant excess mortality was found. In depression a significant excess mortality was found in men [HR 1.44 (1.09-1.89)] but not in women [HR 1.04 (0.87-1.24)] after adjustment for the different variables.


CONCLUSIONS
In elderly persons depression increases the risk of death in men. Neither generalized anxiety nor mixed anxiety-depression are associated with excess mortality. Generalized anxiety disorder may even predict less mortality in depressive elderly people. The relation between generalized anxiety disorder and its possibly protective effect on mortality has to be further explored.
Holwerda
Tjalling J
TJ
Department of Psychiatry, Mentrum Mental Health Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. tjalling.holwerda@mentrum.nl
Schoevers
Robert A
RA
Dekker
Jack
J
Deeg
Dorly J H
DJ
Jonker
Cees
C
Beekman
Aartjan T F
AT
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003863:Depression / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors