Effect of chronic somatic diseases on the course of late-life depression.
To examine the influence of specific chronic somatic diseases and overall somatic diseases burden on the course of depression in older persons.



This was a prospective cohort study with a 2-year follow-up. Participants were depressed persons (n = 285) from the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons. The presence of chronic somatic diseases was based on self-report. Diagnosis of depression was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, and severity of depression was measured with the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-report.



Cardiovascular diseases (odds ratio [OR] = 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-2.72, p = 0.041), musculoskeletal diseases (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.04-2.80, p = 0.034), and the number of chronic somatic diseases (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.16-1.63, p < 0.001) were associated with having a depressive disorder at 2-year follow-up. Furthermore, chronic non-specific lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, cancer, or cumulative somatic disease burden were associated with a chronic course of depression.



Somatic disease burden is associated with a poor course of late-life depression. The course of late-life depression is particularly unfavorable in the presence of chronic non-specific lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and cancer. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Department of Psychiatry, St. Antonius Ziekenhuis, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Johanna M
JM
Hegeman
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Esther M
EM
van Fenema
Department of Psychiatry, EMGO Institute of Health and Care Research, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Hannie C
HC
Comijs
Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Parnassia, Den Haag, The Netherlands.
Rob M
RM
Kok
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.|Department of Psychiatry, CAPRI--University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Roos C
RC
van der Mast
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Margot W M
MWM
de Waal
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
chronic somatic diseases; chronicity; course; depression; late-life