[Depressive symptoms as a risk factor for polypharmacy in patients over 60 years of age].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the association between depressive symptoms not identified by the family physician and polypharmacy in patients over 60 years old.


METHODS
A case-control design with non-probabilistic sampling.


METHODS
> or = 60 years old both sexes, without disease or with one disease-balanced illness, and with reliable recording in chart by the last 12 month.


METHODS
cognitive deterioration, obstructive chronic lung disease, cardiopathy, infarct record, alcoholism, smoking addiction and functional dependence's. Elimination criteria: depression's previous diagnoses and hospitalization during a year before the study. The cases were patients who have simultaneously received 4 o more pharmacologic prescriptions in 5 of 6 last medical visits. The controls were patients who have simultaneously received 3 o less pharmacologic prescriptions in 5 of 6 last medical visits. Depressive symptoms: grading > or = 6 (Yesavage and Brink scale).


RESULTS
200 patients per group, aged 69 +/- 6 years agreed to participate. Logistics regression (OR;CI(95%)): hypertension (6.0;3.6-10.3), diabetes mellitus type 2 (3.7;2.3-5.9), depression (2.1;1.2-3.4), and female sex (1.7;1.1-2.7).


CONCLUSIONS
Hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, depressive symptoms not identified by the family physician, and female sex are risk factors for polypharmacy in the elderly.
Granados-Ponce
José Antonio
JA
Unidad de Medicina Familiar No. 77, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social Edo. de México, México.
Peralta-Pedrero
María Luisa
ML
Munguía-Miranda
Catarina
C
López-Carmona
Juan Manuel
JM
Avila-Leyva
Armando
A
Rodríguez-Moctezuma
Raymundo
R
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010821:Physicians, Family; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose