Mental disorders and asthma in the elderly: a population-based study

Background Clinical studies have mostly linked anxiety disorders with asthma in young patients, but the data are inconsistent for depression. Few population‐based studies have investigated the co‐morbid diagnoses of mental disorders with asthma in older adults. Method Cross‐sectional study of a population sample of older adults aged 60 and above (n = 1092). The diagnoses of recent depression and anxiety were made using the Geriatric Mental State (GMS) Schedule. The presence of asthma was ascertained by self‐reports of physician‐diagnosed asthma. Results Asthma was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive disorders, with odds ratio of 2.45 (95% CI, 1.06–5.69) when compared against non‐asthmatic controls; and 2.42 (95% CI, 1.04–5.64) when compared against controls with other chronic illnesses, after adjusting for psychosocial factors, physical co‐morbidity and use of depression‐causing drugs. Odds ratios were elevated but statistically insignificant for anxiety disorders and dementia. Conclusion We observed that asthma in the elderly was more evidently associated co‐morbidly with depression, rather than anxiety disorder. However, possible associations with anxiety and dementia are not excluded, and should be further investigated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.