Association between hemoglobin levels and depression status in geriatric patients at Prof. DR. I. G. N. G. Ngoerah General Hospital

Abstract

Background: There is evidence of decreased hemoglobin levels as long as an ageing process in the elderly. Low hemoglobin level conditions not only influence physical status but also mental function in the elderly. Objective: to know the association between hemoglobin level and depression status in the elderly. Methods: This is an analytic cross-sectional study. Data were derived from medical records of elderly/Geriatric patients (age>60 years old) admitted to the Internal Medicine Department of Prof. Dr. I.G.N.G. Ngoerah General Hospital between January to July 2018. Anemia status was defined using WHO criteria and depression was defined using Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaires. We use an independent t-test to know the association between a categorical and numeric variable with normal distribution. Statistically significant if p < 0.05. Results: A total of 102 patient was enrolled in this study consisting of 47,05% male and 52,94% female. The prevalence of depression in the elderly was 27,45% and there is no statistically different based on age and sex. There is an association between hemoglobin level and depression in the elderly (p=0,037; CI 0,76-3,14). Logistic regression analysis shows that age and hemoglobin level impact depression status in the elderly.