1. The combination of depressive symptoms and smoking shorten life expectancy among the aged
- Author
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Sara Farchi, Cristina Fortes, Piergiorgio Zuccaro, Roberta Pacifici, Paolo Pasquini, Simona Mastroeni, Juliana Fortes Lindau, Eva Mazzotti, Sperati Alessandra, Piero Borgia, and Francesco Franco
- Subjects
Male ,Gerontology ,Cohort Studies ,Life Expectancy ,Risk Factors ,Risk of mortality ,Humans ,Medicine ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,Aged ,Proportional Hazards Models ,Aged, 80 and over ,Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ,Depression ,business.industry ,Proportional hazards model ,Smoking ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Clinical Psychology ,Relative risk ,Cohort ,Life expectancy ,Female ,Geriatric Depression Scale ,Geriatrics and Gerontology ,business ,Demography ,Cohort study - Abstract
Background: Depression is a potential risk factor for mortality among the aged and it is also associated with other chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyles that may also affect mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and mortality, controlling for health, nutritional status, and life-style factors.Methods: A cohort of elderly people (N = 167) was followed-up for ten years. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, smoking, and alcohol consumption was collected. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality; the secondary outcome was cancer-specific mortality. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was used to assess depression. Using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression, we examined the association between depressive symptoms and mortality.Results: Elderly people with depression (scoring above the depression cut-off of 7) had a 53% increased risk of mortality (relative risk (RR) 1.53; 95%CI: 1.05–2.24) compared to non-depressed subjects. The combination of depressive symptoms with smoking was associated with a particularly higher risk of mortality (RR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.28–5.31), after controlling for potential confounders.Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality. The combination of depressive symptoms and smoking shorten life expectancy among the aged.
- Published
- 2011