Low blood pressure and risk of depression in the elderly - A prospective community-based study

Background The relationship between depression and low blood pressure is un clear. Aims To examine the temporal relation between low blood pressure and depres sion in a two-year follow-up. Method The study group consisted of 1389 subjects aged 59-71 years; 1272 (9 2%) were examined after two years. Subjects completed the Center for Epidem iological Studies-Depression (CES-D) and the Spielberger inventory scales t o 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. Results Among 1112 subjects who were considered as non-depressed at baselin e, logistic regression models showed that low diastolic blood pressure (DBP ) and decrease of blood pressure were predictors of high depressive symptom atology at follow-up. Baseline high CES-D scores did not predict low blood pressure two years after. Conclusions In our study, low blood pressure was a risk factor for, but not a consequence of, high depressive symptomatology. Declaration of interest The project was partly funded by a grant from the M erck, Sharp and Dohme-Chibret Company and EISAI (France).