Abstract

CASTRO-BENITES, Valeria A; RUNZER-COLMENARES, Fernando M  and  PARODI, José F. Depression in elderly patients from highland communities with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Rev Neuropsiquiatr [online]. 2019, vol.82, n.1, pp.4-10. ISSN 0034-8597.  http://dx.doi.org/10.20453/rnp.v82i1.3480.

Objective: To determine the frequency of depression and sociodemographic characteristics of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), living in zones of high altitude. Methods: A retrospective and descriptive study carried out in 16 patients of 60 years of age or older, inhabitants of the highlands (e"1500 meters above sea level) in the Peruvian Andes, with the diagnosis of COPD. Sociodemographic, cognitive, functional and emotional characteristics of each of the probands were assessed. Results: The average age of the sample of patients was 72.1 (SD 5.37), 62.5% of them were women, 75% came from rural areas, and 81.2% were illiterate or had only elementary education. Among the clinical features, 18.7% had arterial hypertension, 12.5% had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 87.5% reported no tobacco consumption. According to the Yesavage test, 43.7% had depression; and 56.2% reported being frequently depressed. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of a high prevalence of depression in COPD patients living in high-altitude zones.

Keywords : COPD; elderly; Andes; depression.

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