Epidemiological study of depression among patients with Hansen Disease at the national sorokdo hospital

Jeong, Seong Yun; Lee, Young Sang

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Geriatric depression is a disease, that possibly can cause serious problems, in case it is not detected and treated. As the mean age of patients on Sorok Island increases, possibility of depression along with dementia rises, but up to date prevalence of this disease in this population has not been studied. This study identifies dementia and depression in patients on Sorok Island via a questionnaire survey, to incorporate the results in future treatment. METHOD: Two hundred thirty-six Sorok Island residents (142 male, 94 female) were enrolled in this survey including Geriatric depression scale (GDS), Korean modified Mini Mental Status Exam (k-mMMSE), and Global Deterioration Scale (GDS).
RESULTS
Suspicious group of depression was found in 25% and Certain group of depression in 17%, which adds up to a high overall prevalence of 42%. There was no gender difference in Suspicious group of depression, but Certain group of depression was significantly more prevalent in women compared to men. Suspicious group of depression detected with k-mMMSE and GDS showed a prevalence of 30% and 35%, respectively, and prevalence was higher in women. Comparing depression group to non-depression group, a significantly higher prevalence of depression group was detected in patients with symptoms of dementia.
CONCLUSION
The results, compared to prevalence studies in other populations, showed a higher prevalence of depression and dementia in patients on Sorok Island. This may be due to the relatively higher mean age or due to a realtively lower functional level of the patients. Possiblity of dementia accompanied by depression is high, and in geriatric patients, the denial of depression or misinterpretation of it as somatic disorders is common. Thus, implication of these results in treatment may yield an improvement of future outcome.