Depressive symptoms and cognitive/functional status in a sample of elderly subjects referring to a memory clinic

Abstract

Background & aims. Depression and dementia are two frequent conditions in the elderly population and are often associated; their relationship is still debated and not well understood. The aim of our study was to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their possible relationship with other demographic, cognitive, and functional characteristics in a sample of elderly subjects. Methods. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 1142 patients (≥ 65 years) admitted to a Memory Clinic. We conducted a multidimensional evaluation including cognitive status, assessment of autonomy in Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (BADLs and IADLs) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The sample was stratified by GDS-15 score in three groups (I: < 5, n. 551, absence of depressive symptoms; II: ≥ 5 and < 10, n.442, mild-moderate depression; III: ≥ 10, n. 149, severe depression). Results. Subjects with higher GDS score were more often women, had lower levels of education and haemoglobin (p < 0.001). Higher GDS scores were associated with higher score in delayed recall of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT, p < 0.001) and Babcock test (p : 0.05), and with lower performance in BADLs and IADLs (p : 0.012 and p < 0.001). In linear regression model, all the associations were confirmed. Conclusions. Our data confirm the relationship between depressive symptoms and female gender, low level of education and greater functional impairment; moreover, we found a significant association between higher GDS score and better scores at memory tests with delayed recall. These results underline the importance of evaluating depressive symptoms as a part of multidimensional evaluation of patients with memory complaints.