title: Depression and associated factors in hospitalized elderly: a cross-sectional study in a Saudi teaching hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression in the elderly is a serious and often underdiagnosed psychiatric disorder that has been linked to adverse outcomes in the hospital setting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of depression and possible associated factors among hospitalized elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  An analytical cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical and surgical wards of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 200 consecutively hospitalized patients aged 60 years and older. Participants were evaluated within 48 hours of admission using an interviewer-administered question-naire to provide basic demographic and clinical information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) screening method and the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) mood disorder module.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to PHQ-9, 17% and 10.5% of the hospitalized patients were diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and other depressive disorders, respectively. The DSM-5 criteria identified 12% of elderly with major depression. Overall, the number of comorbidities associated with depression was signifi-cantly higher in the major depressive disorder group than in the no depression group (post hoc P=.022). Depression was also associated with female gender, unmarried status, lower income, and polypharmacy. In addition, cardiovascular disease and cancer were the most prevalent medical illnesses associated with depression among hospitalized elderly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Major depressive disorder was prevalent among hospitalized elderly, especially among those with comorbid conditions. Hospital physicians must, therefore, maintain a high index of suspicion to identify early and manage depressive symptoms in these patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The small size of certain subgroups limits the statistical power to examine for associations of depression with particular conditions.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sultan Hassan Alamri, King Abdulaziz University,, Abdullah Sulayman,, Jeddah, Makkah, 21441,, Saudi Arabia, shalamri1@kau.edu.sa, T:+966126952000 ext 21037, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4991-6223.
authors.forename: Sultan Hassan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Alamri
authors.forename: Abdulaziz Ihsan
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Bari
authors.forename: Abdulrahman Talal
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires