Doenças crônicas não transmissíveis e sinais e sintomas de depressão e de declínio cognitivo em idosos na atenção primária à saúde

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the non-communicable chronic diseases with symptoms of depression and of cognitive deficit in elders attended by family health strategy. Methods: It is conducted a cross-sectional, quantitative and descriptive study with 1.391 elders attended by 21 family health strategy under PUCRS jurisdiction, Porto Alegre. Data were collected from the formulary of PENCE. It was used for tracking of the symptoms of depression the geriatric depression scale (GDS15), and it was used the Vellore for the tracking of cognitive deficit symptoms. Results: Only 18,7% out of the analyzed did not present chronic disease and 47,5% presented 2 or more. It was noticed a greater frequency of chronic diseased with advanced age (P<0,001) and lower level of education (P=0,004) and lower frequency of chronic diseases among singles (P=0,001). The GDS result was normal in approximately 72% of the elder without chronic disease and 56% of those with some chronic disease (P<0,001). The Vellore result was normal in approximately 58% and 49% of the elders with or without chronic diseases respectively (P<0,001). The following diseases showed significant association (P<0,05) as the result of the depression symptoms scale as the cognitive symptoms scale: hypertension, diabetes, coronary disease, heart failure and cerebral vascular accident. Conclusion: The results suggest that, among the chronic diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular have a clearer Independent association, both with depression as with cognitive decline, supporting the hypothesis of a possible relationship of depression as a risk factor for vascular disease and with this commitment brain associated with cognitive decline and perhaps also to depression.