title: Duloxetine in the treatment of elderly people with major depressive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The elderly population is more frequently subjected to depressive mood compared to the general population and show peculiarities affecting responsiveness; furthermore, aged people need also special care. Duloxetine is a relatively new antidepressant that proved to be effective in adult depression, but has received little attention in elderly population heretofore.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the evidence of duloxetine in late-life major depressive disorder (MDD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of studies focusing on the use of duloxetine in MDD in the elderly has been carried out through the principal specialized databases, including PubMed, PsycLIT, and Embase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only a handful of papers were specifically dedicated to this issue. Duloxetine was found to be effective and safe in old-age MDD, to be better than placebo on many clinical measures in all studies, and to better differentiate from placebo with respect to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Compared to placebo, its side-effect profile is slightly unfavorable and its drop-out rate is slightly higher. Furthermore, when pain is present in old-age MDD, duloxetine is able to reduce it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The efficacy and safety of duloxetine in old-age depression are similar to those encountered in adult MDD. There is a relative lack of comparative studies other than with placebo. The special needs of elderly patients with MDD must be addressed with close patient contact to avoid the perils of inappropriate dosing.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Psychology, NESMOS Department (Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs) Sant' Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. antonio.delcasale@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Casale
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brugnoli
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sani
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brugnoli
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caccia
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Angeletti
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serata
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapinesi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tatarelli
authors.forename: Giorgio D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kotzalidis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000068736:Duloxetine Hydrochloride; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D013876:Thiophenes; D000068736:Duloxetine Hydrochloride