Background: Aging is a worldwide phenomenon. The elderly in Egypt is expected to rise to 10.9% by 2026. Prevalence of depression and cardiovascular diseases are common among the elderly population.
Objective: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of depression among the elderly and to determine its relationship with their lipid profile.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in family medicine clinics at Kasralainy hospital. One hundred and 50 elderly patients were included. Screening for depression using the short form of the Arabic version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL and LDL) are assessed.
Results: The mean age of the studied group was 73.51±8.24 years, the females represent 53.3%. More than three-fourth of the studied population had depressive symptoms with score >5. There was a statistically significant difference between normal and those with depressive symptoms regarding mean levels of cholesterol, LDL and TG with higher levels in the depression group. Also, there was a significant correlation between GDS score and levels of cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides.
Conclusion: Depressive symptoms are associated with dyslipidemia characterized by high total cholesterol, high triglycerides, high LDL. Further studies assessing this relationship and its underlaying mechanism are needed.
Keywords: Depressive symptoms, Dyslipidemia, Geriatrics.