Low blood pressure and risk of depression in the elderly
BackgroundThe relationship between depression and low blood pressure is unclear.AimsTo examine the temporal relation between low blood pressure and depression in a two-year follow-up.MethodThe study group consisted of 1389 subjects aged 59–71 years; 1272 (92%) were examined after two years. Subjects completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES–D) and the Spielberger inventory scales to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. Data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics, smoking and drinking habits, medical history, drug use and blood pressure measures.ResultsAmong 1112 subjects who were considered as non-depressed at baseline, logistic regression models showed that low diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and decrease of blood pressure were predictors of high depressive symptomatology at follow-up. Baseline high CES–D scores did not predict low blood pressure two years after.ConclusionsIn our study, low blood pressure was a risk factor for, but not a consequence of, high depressive symptomatology.