Frailty, depression and mortality in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults

Author(s)

Priscila Pascarelli Pedrico do Nascimento ^[1] ; Ivan Aprahamian ; Mônica Sanches Yassuda ; Anita Liberalesso Neri ; Samila Sathler Tavares Batistoni

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Ciências Médicas - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Rev. bras. geriatr. gerontol.; v. 25, n. 5 2022-06-29.

Abstract

Abstract Objective To estimate the risk represented by the combined conditions of frailty and depression in relation to mortality in a cohort of older adults in a prospective measure. Method Prospective cohort study derived from baseline (2008/2009) and follow-up (2016/2017) measurements of the FIBRA Study - Polo Unicamp. Data from 739 older adults (67,2% female; 73,1+5.87 years) living in two urban centers in the state of São Paulo (Brazil) were analyzed to examine survival curves and to estimate mortality risk. The analyzes included four conditions resulting from the combination of depression (presence x absence of symptoms) and frailty (frail x robust) and the covariates sex, age, education, cognitive performance and comorbidities. Results The percentage of deaths was 25.7%. There were significant differences between the survival curves regarding the combinations between frailty and depression. Male sex, age over 75 years, low education, low cognitive performance and the combinations “depression-robust”, “depression-frail” and “no depression-frail” presented independent risks for mortality. In the multivariate model, the highest risks were given, respectively, by older ages, the combinations “depression-robust”, “depression-frail”, “no depression-frail”, male sex and lower cognitive performance. Conclusion Combinations between frailty and depression can result in differences in survival and mortality among older adults. In the nine-year period, depression proved to be the ordering variable of the groups in relation to risk estimates, even in the presence of important covariates. Investments in the prevention of both syndromes and their associations may result in a decrease in mortality in older people from general causes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/00084-8 - Longitudinal study of the Campinas and Ermelino Matarazzo cohorts of the FIBRA study: predictors and outcomes of frailty among the elderly in Brazil
• Grantee: Monica Sanches Yassuda
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants