Prevalence of major depressive disorder and minor depressive disorder in an elderly Korean population: results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA).
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence, risk factors and impact of major depressive disorder (MDD) and minor depressive disorder (MnDD) in a randomly selected community-dwelling Korean elderly population.


METHODS
This study was conducted as a part of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). A study population of 1118 Korean elders was randomly sampled from residents of Seongnam, Korea aged 65 years or older. Standardized face-to-face interviews and neurological and physical examinations were conducted on 714 respondents using the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. MDD was diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria, and MnDD according to research criteria proposed in Appendix B of the DSM-IV criteria.


RESULTS
Age-, gender- and education-standardized prevalence rates in Korean elders aged 65 years or older were estimated as 5.37% (95% CI=3.72-7.03) for MDD, 5.52% (95% CI=3.84-7.19) for MnDD, and 10.89% (95% CI=8.60-13.17) for overall late-life depression (LLD). A prior MDD episode (OR=3.07, 95% CI=1.38-6.82 in MDD, OR=3.44, 95% CI=1.49-7.94 in MnDD), female gender (OR=3.55, 95% CI=1.53-8.24 in MDD, OR=2.68, 95% CI=1.19-6.04 in MnDD) and history of stroke or TIA (OR=3.45, 95% CI=1.62-7.35 in MDD, OR=2.95, 95% CI=1.34-6.52 in MnDD) were associated with the risks of both MDD and MnDD. Lack of formal education (OR=2.75, 95% CI=1.30-5.85) and low income (OR=2.83, 95% CI=1.02-7.88) were associated with the risk of MDD only. Quality of life (QOL) of the MDD and MnDD patients was worse than that of non-depressed elders (P<0.001, ANOVA).


CONCLUSIONS
MnDD was as prevalent as MDD in Korean elders and impacted QOL as MDD did. MnDD patients may increase in the future with accelerated population aging and westernization of lifestyle in Korea.
Park
Joon Hyuk
JH
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Jeju National University Hospital, Jejudo, Republic of Korea.
Lee
Jung Jae
JJ
Lee
Seok Bum
SB
Huh
Yoonseok
Y
Choi
Eun Ae
EA
Youn
Jong Choul
JC
Jhoo
Jin Hyeong
JH
Kim
Jin Sun
JS
Woo
Jong Inn
JI
Kim
Ki Woong
KW
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D056910:Republic of Korea