title: Comorbid chronic diseases in depressed and non-depressed patients in family practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression is one of the five most frequent disorders in primary care practice and often remains unrecognized. One of the reasons why depression often passes unnoticed is comorbidity - a number of different chronic diseases coexist with depression, especially in elderly patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this research was to assess the difference between depressed and non-depressed patients regarding somatic and mental comorbidity. The differences in drug use were also examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred successive adult patients visiting family physicians in Rijeka, Croatia, were polled using the Beck Depression Inventory and a general questionnaire which was created for the purpose of the study. The existing medical records were also used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated depression level was determined in 48.1% of the examinees. These patients were suffering from larger number of chronic diseases (X=1.23) than non-depressed patients (X=0.70; t=5.07; p<0.001; z=4.93; p<0.001), especially cardiac, mental, renal and osteomuscular diseases. Depressed persons used significantly more drugs (X=1.28) than non-depressed patients (X=0.58; t=6.10; p<0.001; z=5.78; p<0.001), especially antirheumatics, analgesics, sedatives, antidepressants, antiallergics and diuretics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The research results point to a necessity of routine screening and early treatment of depression in patients with chronic diseases in primary care practice.
authors.affiliation: Community Primary Health Centre, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Rijeka, Rijeka, 51000, Croatia. ines.diminic@medri.hr
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Diminić-Lisica
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Francisković
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janović
authors.forename: Branka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.forename: Miro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klarić
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nemcić-Moro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D017523:Croatia; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents