Depressive symptoms and metabolic syndrome: selective association in older women.
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is being increasingly found in older populations. Depressive symptoms are prevalent in elderly populations, and they are associated with adverse outcomes, chiefly cardiovascular. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the 30-item geriatric depression scale (GDS) score with MetS, as defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III) criteria, in all 353 participants aged 75+ years living in Tuscania (Italy). Metabolic syndrome was associated with the GDS score in a multivariable linear regression analysis in women (beta s= 2.14, 95% CI = 0.14 to 4.14; P = .036), but not in men (beta = -.84, 95% CI = -3.17 to 1.49; P = .476), after adjusting. Analysis of the interaction term confirmed (P = .022) that such an association differed according to sex. Metabolic syndrome is independently associated with depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older women. Older women with depression should be prompted to undergo screening for MetS. Conversely, elderly women with MetS should be assessed for affective disorders.
Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Catholic University of Medicine, Rome, Italy. postalice@tiscali.it
Alice
A
Laudisio
Emanuele
E
Marzetti
Francesco
F
Pagano
Gino
G
Pozzi
Roberto
R
Bernabei
Giuseppe
G
Zuccalà
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012727:Sex Characteristics