Prevalência de sintomas depressivos em uma população de idosos usuários de serviços públicos

Abstract

This dissertation aims to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the elderly according to three levels of complexity of health care and to study the co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and levels of functional capacity. In Brazil, the demographic transition occurred quickly and explosive. As the number of elderly grows there is an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and their complications. The functional ability can be seen as a summary measure of overall impact of medical conditions in the context of environment and social support system of the individual, and should be an important consideration in any planning of health. A condition associated with a high degree of disability is depression. Among the grievances of mental health, depression is one of the most common and important psychiatric problems among the elderly. This is cross-sectional study with a sample size of 643 elderly aged 65 or over, randomly selected, and users of three public health services with increasing levels of complexity (primary, secondary and tertiary). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was estimated from the EDG-15, already translated and validated for use in Brazil. The level of functional status was defined as the scores of instruments SF-36 and HAQ. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the total sample was 45.2% (CI = 41.1 to 49.3). Stratified by unit, the prevalence was 35.3% at primary level, 47.6% at secondary level and 51.7% at the tertiary level (p = 0.004). Prevalence rates were high in the three levels of complexity of care, including the elderly population in primary care unit, although the elderly are more independent and healthier. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms increased as the degree of disability has also increased. The active search for elderly patients with depressive symptoms is important at all levels of complexity of care in the health system.