Arthritis Prevalent in Older Adults With Depressive Symptoms

A study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry assessed arthritis rates among older U.S. adults with depressive symptoms, reports Specialty Pharmacy Times . The researchers analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2011 to 2014, which included 2,483 women and 2,309 men, to identify participants aged 50 years and older with depressive symptoms and self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis. This condition occurred in 24.3 percent of adults older than 45 and 47.4 percent in adults 65 years and older. The prevalence rates of depression in U.S. adults aged 45 and older with arthritis are 18 percent, but depressive symptoms are often under-treated and poorly understood when it comes to this demographic. A total of 43.7 percent of participants reported physician-diagnosed arthritis and 55 percent in a subgroup with minor depression reported an arthritis diagnosis, while prevalence rates of depression were similar across the various age subgroups. In general, 62.8 percent and 67.8 percent of participants with moderate and severe depression, respectively, reported an arthritis diagnosis. Arthritis rates among those with moderate-to-severe depression rose between 50 to 59 and 60 to 69, and stabilized in advancing age groups. The investigators verified that higher rates of arthritis were reported by older adults with various levels of depression versus those without sub-clinical and clinical levels of depressive symptoms, which is consistent with other studies on the link between depression and arthritis in older men and women.