Depressive symptoms in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease: frequency and associated factors

Abstract

Background/aims Emotional health is an important factor in clinical and functional manifestations of Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to correlate clinical features with depressive symptoms in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. The Geriatric Depression Scale 15 was used to evaluate depressive symptoms, the modified Hoehn and Yahr scale was used to describe the symptom progression of Parkinson's disease and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39 to assess the quality of life. The Pearson correlation and the chi-square test were used. Significance level was set at 5%. Results A total of 81 individuals participated and 48 (60.8%) presented with depressive symptoms. Participants in the moderate stage of Parkinson's disease and women presented a higher frequency of depressive symptoms. Cognition, communication and mobility presented the highest correlation with depressive symptoms. Conclusions The participants presented a high frequency of depressive symptoms that is correlated with a decrease in mobility, communication and cognitive functions. It is recommended that the rehabilitation of elderly people with Parkinson's disease should be performed by a multidisciplinary team, whose objectives are to improve mobility, cognition and communication, which can help reduce depressive symptoms and depression in elderly people with Parkinson's disease.