Decoding Depression in Elderly Hypertensive Patients: A Latent Profile Analysis
Hypertension, a prevalent condition in the elderly, often intertwines with mental health issues like depression. A recent study, using data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, investigates depression types in elderly hypertensive patients. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to categorize depression into three levels: low, medium, and high. This categorization helps in understanding the varying degrees of depression among these patients.
The study identified that 13.9% of patients had low-level depression, 51.9% medium-level, and 34.2% high-level. Factors like anxiety, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), age, exercise, economic status, hearing and visual function, and self-reported health were significant in predicting depression levels. These findings emphasize the complex interplay of physical and mental health in elderly hypertensive patients.
Despite its cross-sectional nature and potential data limitations, the study offers valuable insights. It highlights the need for holistic healthcare approaches, considering both physical and mental health aspects, especially in managing hypertension in the elderly. Such approaches could significantly improve their quality of life.