scholarly journals Prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly in the city of Tremembé, Brazil: Preliminary findings of an epidemiological study

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina G. César ◽  
Leonel T. Takada ◽  
Sonia M.D. Brucki ◽  
Ricardo Nitrini ◽  
Luiz Fernando C. Nascimento ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Depression is a heterogeneous mental disease classified as a set of disorders, which manifest with a certain duration, frequency and intensity. The prevalence of depression in the elderly ranges from 0.5 to 16%. Objective To establish, in an epidemiological study, the prevalence of significant depressive symptoms in the population aged 60 years or older. Methods: Results of a cross-sectional epidemiological study, involving home visits, being carried out in the city of Tremembé, Brazil, were reported. The sample was randomly selected by drawing 20% of the population over 60 years from each of the city's census sectors. In this single-phase study, the assessment included clinical history, physical and neurological examination, cognitive evaluation, the Cornell scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire for psychiatric symptoms. Scores greater than or equal to 8 on the Cornell scale were taken to indicate the presence of depressive symptoms. Results: A total of 455 elders were assessed, and of these 169 (37.1%) had clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDS). Depression prevalence was higher among women (p<0.001) and individuals with lower education (p=0.033). The Chi-square test for trends showed a significant relationship where lower socioeconomic status was associated with greater likelihood of depressive symptoms (p=0.005). Conclusion: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was high in this sample of the population-based study and was associated with female gender, low educational level and socioeconomic status. The assessment of the entire population sample must be completed.

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina G. César ◽  
Sonia M.D. Brucki ◽  
Leonel T. Takada ◽  
Luiz Fernando C. Nascimento ◽  
Camila M.S. Gomes ◽  
...  

Depression is a major growing public health problem. Many population studies have found a significant relationship between depression and the presence of cognitive disorders. OBJECTIVE: To establish the correlation between the Visual Analogue Scale of Happiness and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia in the population aged 60 years or over in the city of Tremembé, state of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: An epidemiological survey involving home visits was carried out in the city of Tremembé. The sample was randomly selected by drawing 20% of the population aged 60 years or older from each of the city's census sectors. In this single-phase study, the assessment included clinical history, physical and neurological examination, cognitive evaluation, and application of both the Cornell Scale and the Analogue Scale of Happiness for psychiatric symptoms. The presence of depressive symptoms was defined as scores greater than or equal to 8 points on the Cornell Scale. RESULTS: A total of 623 subjects were evaluated and of these 251 (40.3%) had clinically significant depressive symptoms on the Cornell Scale, with a significant association with female gender (p<0.001) and with lower education (p=0.012). One hundred and thirty-six participants (21.8%) chose the unhappiness faces, with a significant association with age (p<0.001), female gender (p=0.020) and low socioeconomic status (p=0.012). Although there was a statistically significant association on the correlation test, the correlation was not high (rho=0.47). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was high in this sample and the Visual Analogue Scale of Happiness and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia should not be used as similar alternatives for evaluating the presence of depressive symptoms, at least in populations with low educational level.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Denobile Serra ◽  
Sandra Lopes Mattos e Dinato ◽  
Marcos Montani Caseiro

ABSTRACT Objective Ascertain the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in medical students, considering data in the literature that indicate higher vulnerability to emotional disorders in this population. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample of 657 (98%) students. The instruments used were: questionnaire of socioeconomic-demographic characteristics, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results Predominance of the female gender (61%), aged between 17 and 30 years (98%), Catholic religion (64.2%) from the city of São Paulo (40.7%) and other cities in the state (35.7%); 30% presented depressive symptoms and 21% anxiety symptoms. Female students had higher scores both for depression (34.8%) and for anxiety (26.8%). As regards the course year, the highest rates were found in the 5th year (40.7%) for depression and in the 2nd year for anxiety (28.8%). Conclusion The data obtained in this study (30%) agreed with the literature regarding the prevalence of depressive symptoms in medical students, but this index was higher compared to the population in general (15.1% to 16.8%), and related to people in São Paulo city (18.5%). Concerning anxiety the rates found were slightly lower than those in specific literature but higher than those in literature for the population in general (8% to 18%) and in city São Paulo (16.8%). These indices indicate that the school of medicine may play a role as a predisposing and/or triggering factor in some students. The results suggest that more attention should be directed to 5th year students, who are beginning the internship period.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3252
Author(s):  
Pier Paolo Mattogno ◽  
Quintino Giorgio D’Alessandris ◽  
Sabrina Chiloiro ◽  
Antonio Bianchi ◽  
Antonella Giampietro ◽  
...  

Background: Prolactinomas represent a unique challenge for endocrinologists and neurosurgeons. Considering recent innovations in surgical practice, the authors aimed to investigate the best management for prolactinomas. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional and monocentric study was designed. Consecutive patients affected by prolactinomas were enrolled if treated with a first-line treatment with a dopamine agonist (DA) or trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS). Patients carried giant prolactinomas, and those with a follow-up <12 months were excluded. Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled. The first treatment was DA for 140 patients and TS for 119 cases. One hundred and forty-six of 249 patients (58.6%) needed a second therapy. The mean follow-up was 102.2 months (12–438 months). Surgery highly impacted on the cure rate—in particular, in females (p = 0.0021) and in microprolactinomas (p = 0.0020). Considering the multivariate analysis, the female gender and surgical treatment in the course of the clinical history were the only independent positive predictors of a cure at the end of 5 years follow-up (p = 0.0016, p = 0.0005). The evaluation of serum prolactin (24 hours after TSS) revealed that 86.4% of patients with postoperative prolactin (PRL) ≤10 ng/mL were cured at the end of the follow-up (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: According to our experience, surgery allows a high cure rate of prolactinomas, particularly in females with microadenoma, with a good safety profile. TSS for prolactinomas should be considered as a concrete option, during the multidisciplinary evaluation, in centers of reference for pituitary diseases.


Hypertension ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Maria Bruno ◽  
Laura Palagini ◽  
Veronica Mancuso ◽  
Martina Cargiolli ◽  
Angelo Gemignani ◽  
...  

Purpose: Insomnia and short sleep duration have been associated with increased prevalence, incidence and severity of hypertension. However, the relationship between insomnia and use of different antihypertensive drug classes has not been ascertained yet. Methods: 371 hypertensive patients at their first visit in a tertiary Hypertension Outpatient Unit were enrolled. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAY-Y2) were administered. Insomnia was defined as ISI>8, depressive symptoms as BDI>10, trait anxiety as STAI -Y2>40. Patients with self-reported sleep apneas or snoring (n=29) or with incomplete data (n=12) were excluded. Results: Data from 330 patients were analyzed (males 51%, mean age 57±13 years, antihypertensive treatment 84%, previous CV events 9%, diabetes 7%, obesity 24%, smoking 13%, hypercholesterolemia 67%). Insomniacs (n=70, 21%) were older than non-insomniacs (60±11 vs 56±13 years, p=0.02); female gender (62 vs 46%, p=0.01), anxiety (68 vs 34%, p<0.0001) and depressive symptoms (30 vs 6%, p<0.0001) were more prevalent in insomniacs. Insomniacs were treated with higher number of antihypertensive drugs (1.8±1.0 vs 1.5±1.0, p=0.04) and more frequently with angiotensin-receptor-blockers (ARBs, 49 vs 31%, p=0.009) and diuretics (50 vs 28%, p=0.0007), whereas the use of other drug classes was similar. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusted for cardiovascular and psychiatric variables, ARBs use (OR 2.4, CL95% 1.1-5.2), depressive symptoms (OR 3.2, CL95%1.2-8.7) and anxiety (OR 2.9, CL95%1.4-6.1) were associated with a higher probability of insomnia. Conclusions: This cross-sectional analysis suggests that ARBs use may be associated with insomnia in a cohort of hypertensive patients


Author(s):  
Satyajit Mohanty ◽  
Jyotiranjan Sahoo ◽  
Sandeep Kumar Panigrahi ◽  
Venkatarao Epari ◽  
Sandul Yasobant ◽  
...  

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of yoga practice. This cross-sectional study was conducted as a part of a larger study that included yoga as a form of physical activity. Data were collected during April and August 2019 from the adult urban population of Bhubaneswar, India. This study was conducted using a cluster random sampling method. A representative sample (n = 1,203) of adults aged 18–59 years, irrespective of gender, was interviewed using a questionnaire adapted from the 2012 U.S. National Health Interview Survey, with the Epicollect5 handheld data-collection tool. Predictors of yoga practice were explored using multivariable logistic regression. The mean age of the participants was 35.19 ± 10.67 years, with 55.3% males. The majority were Hindu (93.62%) and belonged to the unre s e rved category (65.60%), people generally of higher relative socioeconomic status. The lifetime prevalence of yoga was 16.9%. Prevalence of any form of yoga (yoga, pranayama, or meditation), all forms of yoga (yoga, pranayama, and meditation), pranayama, and meditation was 17.0%, 10.7%, 14.3%, and 11.4%, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, female gender, Hindu religion, minimum of higher-secondary or graduate-level education, and having received advice from professionals for yoga practice had significantly higher odds of practicing yoga, and those of higher socioeconomic status had significantly lower odds of practicing yoga. We found a low prevalence of yoga. Sociodemographic characteristics like gender, religion, education, socioeconomic status, and other factors like learning yoga from professionals may be important predictors of continued yoga practice.


2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosely Almeida Souza ◽  
Gislaine Desani da Costa ◽  
Cintia Hitomi Yamashita ◽  
Fernanda Amendola ◽  
Jaqueline Correa Gaspar ◽  
...  

Objective: To classify families of elderly with depressive symptoms regarding their functioning and to ascertain the presence of an association between these symptoms, family functioning and the characteristics of the elderly. Method: This was an observational, analytical, cross-sectional study performed with 33 teams of the Family Health Strategy in Dourados, MS. The sample consisted of 374 elderly divided into two groups (with and without depressive symptoms). The instruments for data collection were a sociodemographic instrument, the GeriatricDepression Scale (15 items) and the Family Apgar. Results: An association was observed between depressive symptoms and family dysfunction, female gender, four or more people living together, and physical inactivity. Conclusion: The functional family may represent effective support for the elderly with depressive symptoms, because it offers a comfortable environment that ensures the well-being of its members. The dysfunctional family can barely provide necessary care for the elderly, which can exacerbate depressive symptoms.



2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-77
Author(s):  
THAÍS CAMPELO BEDÊ VALE ◽  
LÍVIA RODRIGUES DE ARAÚJO ◽  
VITÓRIA NUNES MEDEIROS ◽  
JOSÉ HÍCARO HELLANO GONÇALVES LIMA PAIVA ◽  
TATIANA PASCHOALETTE RODRIGUES BACHUR ◽  
...  

Depression is a common mental condition worldwide and a major cause of debility, with the potential to impair the quality of life of affected people. Medical students are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders, with depression, anxiety, and burnout being the most common ones. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in medical students and their association with burnout and aspects of life. This is an analytical cross-sectional study. Data collection was performed using four validated scales and a questionnaire in 511 medical students from the first to the fourth year from different universities. Depression was present in 49% of the students. A correlation was found between depression and female gender. Regarding the students' daily sleep time, 54.5% of the students slept only 3 to 6 hours per night. The use of psychoactive substances was reported by 29.9%. Regarding the emotional support offered by universities, about 92.8% of students with depressive symptoms reported not receiving adequate emotional support. As for quality of life, all domains were impaired among students with depression. According to the two-dimensional criterion, 37% of the students have burnout, with correlation between the presence of the syndrome and depressive symptoms. In addition, burnout proved to be an independent risk factor for suicidal ideation and self-mutilation. New methods that can help detect and address factors that trigger stress and depressive symptoms in medical students are needed to reduce the incidence of depression.


Author(s):  
Kaveshin Naidu ◽  
John R. Torline ◽  
Michelle Henry ◽  
Helena B. Thornton

Background: It is known that medical doctors suffer from increased rates of depression with medical interns being most at risk. Despite this, little is known about the prevalence of depression in interns in South Africa.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in interns employed at Groote Schuur Hospital, a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape.Method: The study was a cross-sectional study. All 91 interns were invited to participate in the study and consenting interns were required to complete a demographic and related questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory 2 (BDI-2).Results: Fifty-four (59.3%) of all invited interns participated in the study. Twenty-two interns (40.7%) reported a BDI-2 score of 14 or greater, indicating at least mild self-reported symptoms of depression. Features associated with a BDI-2 score of 14 or greater, included female gender, a previous diagnosis of depression, seeing a psychotherapist and previously being on antidepressant medication during internship. Other features also significantly associated with higher BDI-2 scores included suicidal ideation, thoughts of emigration, wanting to leave medicine and using substances to cope. The most significant associated feature of high BDI-2 scores was a subjective feeling of being ‘burnt out’.Conclusion: Interns had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms when compared to the general population. The feeling of being ‘burnt out’ was the most significant factor associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. It is imperative that the mental health of both medical students and newly qualified doctors be prioritised, supported and monitored.


Author(s):  
Rosa M Sánchez-Casas ◽  
Ildefonso Fernández-Salas ◽  
Maricela Laguna-Aguilar ◽  
Jorge J Rodríguez-Rojas ◽  
Marcia L Medina-Ponce ◽  
...  

SUMMARY The prevalence of pediculosis in Mexican children was studied in San Nicolas and Tapachula, Mexico. A cross-sectional study included 888 students between six and 12 years old from two urban communities with an unequal socioeconomic status between September 2015 and March 2016. A Pearson χ2 and multivariate logistic analysis were carried out to associate risk factors to pediculosis. The overall prevalence of pediculosis from both localities was 23.9%. The female gender; long and medium hair; living with someone infested; previously infested by head lice and curling hair were variables linked to a significantly higher prevalence of pediculosis (p &lt; 0.01). Nevertheless, no significant differences were observed in the age groups, localities and socioeconomic status for human lice infection. Socioeconomic variables such as numbers of inhabitants, floors of house, beds and rooms; and parents’ qualification did not show a significative association for pediculosis. Health education in schools is needed for pediculosis prevention and remove the stigmatization of this disease related to poverty.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1648-1655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sérgio Murilo Maciel Fernandes Filho ◽  
Heloísa Ramos Lacerda de Melo

ABSTRACTBackground: The study was undertaken to describe the frequency of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and depressive symptoms in an older population with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of patients aged 50 years or older infected with HIV was carried out in an outpatient setting in Brazil from March to November 2008. Patients selected were submitted to cognitive evaluation using the Mini-Mental State Examination and International HIV Dementia Scale, and also to functional and depression evaluations.Results: Among the 52 patients evaluated, the frequency of neurocognitive disorder was 36.5%, while for dementia the frequency was 13.5%. No risk factors were identified. Among the patients with cognitive impairment, 73.7% had cortical impairment. The frequency of depressive symptoms was of 34.6%. The female gender was identified as a risk factor (p = 0.018) and patients with depressive symptoms had greater functional impairment (p < 0.001).Conclusion: HAND and depressive symptoms are common in an older population. Patients with cognitive impairment achieved lower scores on the cortical assessment scales. Depressive symptoms are a stronger factor for functional impairment.


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