Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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1
doi:10.1111/psyg.12126
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
1
Institute of Medicine, 5School of Health Policy and
Management, Chung Shan Medical University,
Departments of 2Pharmacy and 3Internal Medicine,
4
Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal
Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University
Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Abstract
Background: This study examined the relationship between depression,
benzodiazepine (BZD)/nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics (non-BZD), and other
risk factors in a national sample of Taiwans elderly diabetic patients.
Methods: Data were drawn from the 2005 Taiwan National Health Interview
Survey and adults aged 65 years and older. A total of 1331 subjects
were included in this study. The Chinese version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to evaluate patients depression
symptoms.
Results: The rates of depression in the diabetes mellitus (DM) and non-DM
groups were 13.5% (39/288) and 9.8% (102/1043) and the average ages
were 73.7 and 73.4 years, respectively. In multivariate regression, the odds
ratio of depression was 1.66-fold higher among BZD/non-BZD users (95%
condence interval: 1.102.51, model 2) than among those without BZD/
non-BZD use. In addition, hyperlipidaemia, poor physical function, and antidepressant use were associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms.
Meanwhile, a monthly household income of NT$30 000NT$49 999, exercise, and betel chewing were associated with a lower risk of depression. We
performed an additional logistic analysis for which the odds ratio of depression signicantly increased to 1.52 in non-DM elderly patients (95% condence interval: 1.062.19) who were prescribed BZD/non-BZD. In contrast,
there was no signicant difference in the odds ratio of depression in the DM
elderly regardless of BZD/non-BZD use, although there was a slight tendency for depression among those who used BZD/non-BZD.
Conclusion: Depression in non-DM Taiwanese elderly patients was found
to be associated with BZD/non-BZD use, whereas depression in DM Taiwanese elderly patients was not found to be associated with BZD/non-BZD
use.
INTRODUCTION
Taiwans elderly population has experienced rapid
growth in recent decades, reecting a trend observed
in other industrialized countries, and the percentage
of older people aged 65 and older will reach 20% by
the year 2025.1 Older people frequently face major life
events like bereavement, changed social status after
retirement, loss of income, transition from indepen 2015 The Authors
Psychogeriatrics 2015 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society
93
being widowed, divorced, or separated, lower socioeconomic status, comorbid medical conditions,
uncontrolled pain, insomnia, functional impairment,
and cognitive impairment.3 Insomnia is a risk factor for
developing dysthymia and depression in older adults,
and persistence of insomnia has been associated with
persistence of depression.4 Benzodiazepines (BZD)
and non-benzodiazepines (non-BZD) are frequently
used to treat insomnia in clinical practice, and they are
also capable of decreasing anxiety and controlling
convulsions. However, the most common adverse
effects associated with BZD/non-BZD are impaired
memory, residual daytime sedation, drowsiness, dizziness, light-headedness, cognitive impairment,
motor discoordination, and dependence.57 BZD/nonBZD are included in the list of potentially inappropriate
medications (PIM) in the updated 2012 version of the
Beers Criteria and are not recommended for the
elderly.8 It has been reported that improvements in
sleep with BZD/non-BZD use are statistically signicant, but the magnitude of the effect is small.9 In
addition, the increased risk of adverse events is statistically signicant, with an increased risk of falls, hip
fractures, cognitive impairment, and car accidents.10
Depression is common among people with diabetes mellitus (DM) and it is associated with poor outcomes. Recent studies have reported that the
prevalence of depression among Taiwanese with DM
type 2 was about 20.6%.11,12 Raval et al. reported that
depression was strongly associated with age
>54 years, central obesity, neuropathy, nephropathy,
peripheral vascular disease, diabetic foot disease,
and pill burden (>4), and the likelihood of depression
was not signicantly associated with duration of DM
and insulin use.13 Furthermore, people with DM type 2
have a 24% increased risk of developing depression.14 Depression and DM have thus frequently been
found to be associated with each other.
Therefore, in the present study we investigated the
associations between sociodemographic variables,
health-related factors, and the use of PIM BZD/nonBZD in an older population with DM type 2 with a
depressive tendency in Taiwan.
METHODS
Study population
The Taiwan National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is
a countrywide cross-sectional health survey that provides data on the general health of residents in Taiwan.
94
depression, and <12 indicates no depressive symptoms. Higher scores correlate with a greater burden of
depression.17,18
Other independent variables
BZD/non-BZD, which are often used by patients
with depression and anxiety, may result in reduced
severity of depressive symptoms. However, because
of their common adverse effects, BZD/non-BZD
hypnotics are classied as PIM in the updated 2012
version of the Beers Criteria and are not recommended in elderly patients.8 In the present study,
the denition of BZD/non-BZD hypnotics was
based on the 2012 Beers Criteria, including denitions of short- and intermediate-acting BZD
(alprazolam, estazolam, lorazepam, oxazepam, and
triazolam), long-acting BZD (clorazepate, chlordiazepoxide, chlordiazepoxide-amitriptyline, clidiniumchlordiazepoxide, clonazepam, diazepam, and
urazepam), and non-BZD (eszopiclone, zolpidem,
and zaleplon).
Demographic variables such as age, sex, urbanization, body mass index (BMI), education level, marital
status, monthly household income, exercise, drinking,
smoking, chewing betel, Charlson comorbidity index
(CCI), hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, activities of daily
living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL),
and antidepressant use were collected at baseline in
2005. Marital status was classied as married (living
with spouse) or single (living without spouse). The
educational level groups were classied as illiterate or
elementary school education (the reference group),
junior high school education, senior high school education, and university education or higher. In developing countries, urbanization was used as a proxy
measure of the increased risk of DM associated with
altered diet, obesity, decreased physical activity, and
other factors such as stress. Urbanization in this study
was divided into the following categories: (i) highly
urbanized; (ii) moderate urbanization; (iii) newly developed towns; and (ivvii) others (including (iv) general
towns; (v) ageing towns; (vi) agricultural towns; and (vii)
remote towns). BMI 24 was considered to be overweight. Monthly household income was grouped as
follows: (i) less than NT$30 000; (ii) NT$30 000
NT$49 999; and more than NT$50 000. The CCI is a
weighted summary measure of clinically important
concomitant diseases that has been adapted for use
with International Classication of Diseases, Ninth
2015 The Authors
Psychogeriatrics 2015 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society
RESULTS
Demographic data
Table 1 shows the demographic data of the study
population based on DM status: DM elderly group
(n = 288) and non-DM elderly group (n = 1043). There
were no signicant differences in age, sex, urbanization, education level, marital status, monthly household income, exercise, drinking, smoking, betel
chewing, ADL disability, and prevalence of non-BZD
users between the two groups. However, there were
signicant differences between the DM group and
the non-DM group with regard to BMI 24 (56.12 vs
44.88%), CCI 2 (17.34 vs 10.98%), hypertension
(59.65 vs 37.86%), hyperlipidaemia (35.36 vs
23.51%), IADL disability (67.50 vs 49.93%), prevalence of antidepressant users (20.86 vs 11.94%),
95
Non-DM (n = 1043)
Unweighted sample Weighted percentage (%) Unweighted sample Weighted percentage (%)
Age, mean 1 SD
Sex
Female
Male
Urbanization
1 (Highest)
2
3
47
BMI
<24
24
Education
Elementary school
Junior school
High school
University
Marital status
No
Yes
Household monthly income#
<NT$30 000
NT$30 000NT$49 999
NT$50 000
Exercise
No
Irregular
Regular
Drinking
No
Yes
Smoking
No
Yes
Betel chewing
No
Yes
CCI
0
1
2
Hypertension
No
Yes
Hyperlipidaemia
No
Yes
ADL
Unrestricted
Restricted
IADL
Unrestricted
Restricted
Antidepressants
No
Yes
BZD/NonBZD
No
Yes
73.66 1 5.74
73.42 1 6.08
P-value
0.484
0.289
143
145
47.25
52.75
439
604
41.80
58.20
49
86
39
114
26.23
28.22
15.60
29.95
170
256
142
475
24.07
24.37
16.09
35.47
122
166
43.88
56.12
589
454
55.12
44.88
216
22
26
24
69.14
10.23
8.64
11.98
775
102
74
92
71.47
10.64
7.35
10.55
90
198
29.59
70.41
314
729
30.12
69.88
150
65
73
48.54
24.35
27.11
599
213
231
54.53
21.53
23.94
101
59
128
35.48
20.66
43.86
410
199
434
37.33
20.33
42.34
242
46
80.62
19.38
802
241
77.50
22.50
215
73
74.37
25.63
717
326
70.43
29.57
263
25
92.82
7.18
954
89
92.62
7.38
97
141
50
34.17
48.49
17.34
543
389
111
52.03
37.00
10.98
120
168
40.35
59.65
649
394
62.14
37.86
190
98
64.64
35.36
816
227
76.49
23.51
255
33
90.75
9.25
967
76
92.01
7.99
91
197
32.50
67.50
537
506
50.07
49.93
232
56
79.14
20.86
925
118
88.06
11.94
128
160
44.42
55.58
571
472
54.29
45.71
0.479
0.003*
0.800
0.858
0.263
0.845
0.509
0.410
0.911
<0.001**
<0.001**
0.001**
0.491
<0.001**
<0.001**
0.005*
*P < 0.5; **P < 0.01. #New Taiwan dollars; Charlson comorbidity index. ADL, activities of daily living; BMI, body mass index; BZD, benzodiazepines; CCI,
Charlson comorbidity index; DM, diabetes mellitus; IADL, instrumental activities of daily living; non-BZD, nonbenzodiazepines.
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DISCUSSION
In this cross-sectional study, logistic regression analysis found that the OR of depression signicantly
increased to 1.52 in non-DM elderly Taiwanese
patients who were prescribed BZD/non-BZD
(95%CI = 1.062.19). However, there was no signicant difference in risk of depression in DM elderly
patients regardless of whether they were prescribed
BZD/non-BZD. These results seem to demonstrate
that the use of BZD/non-BZD has a greater effect on
depressive symptoms in non-DM elderly.
Several previous studies have reported that DM
patients have a higher prevalence of depression than
non-DM patients,13,26,27 and the depression level of
DM patients may be positively correlated with complications, disease duration, and treatment modality.28
Nevertheless, in the present results, there was no
signicant difference between DM elderly and
non-DM elderly patients with regard to the risk of
developing depression. This may have been due to
the different characteristics of research subjects and
the fact that our study employed a cross-sectional
design. Thus, it was not possible to determine
whether patients depression had been successfully
treated and which treatment modalities were used.
In the present study, BZD/non-BZD use signicantly increased risk of depression by 1.52-fold in
non-DM elderly patients. Insomnia is a major factor for
initiating BZD/non-BZD use,29 and the inappropriate
use of BZD/non-BZD has been shown to be independently associated with older age ( = 0.130) and
chronic illnesses ( = 0.120).30 Therefore, clinicians
treating insomnia in elderly patients should take all
medical conditions, including psychiatric illness, substance abuse, and sleep disorders, into consideration
if there is a possibility that they may cause or exacerbate insomnia. Reasonable approaches for elderly
insomnia include behavioural therapy, medication, or
both.26 Above all, pharmaceutical care should avoid
PIM and substitute more appropriate and safer medicines for them. For example, ramelteon, a melatonin
agonist,31,32 was approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration. It was demonstrated to provide a subjective benet with persistence of the effect for at
least 6 months, resulted in improvement in older
adults,3336 and had fewer side-effects associated with
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Multivariate analysis
95%CI
OR
Diabetes
No
Yes
Age
Gender
Female
Male
Urbanization
1 (Highest)
2
3
47
BMI
<24
24
Education
Elementary school
Junior school
High school
College
Marital status
No
Yes
Household monthly income
<NT$30 000
NT$30 000NT$49 999
NT$50 000
Exercise
No
Irregular
Regular
Drinking
No
Yes
Smoking
No
Yes
Betel chewing
No
Yes
CCI
0
1
2
Hypertension
No
Yes
Hyperlipidaemia
No
Yes
ADL
Unrestricted
Restricted
IADL
Unrestricted
Restricted
Antidepressants
No
Yes
BZD/non-BZD
No
Yes
95%CI
Lower
Upper
OR
Lower
Upper
1
1.19
1.02
0.73
0.99
1.94
1.06
1
0.81
0.96
0.47
0.93
1.41
1.00
1
0.39**
0.28
0.54
1
0.84
0.50
1.41
1
0.76
1.05
1.25
0.38
0.52
0.80
1.51
2.11
1.95
1
0.93
1.26
1.18
0.41
0.50
0.64
2.08
3.13
2.18
1
0.81
0.60
1.10
1
0.75
0.48
1.17
1
0.35
0.75
0.41*
0.11
0.39
0.17
1.07
1.42
1.00
1
0.72
1.70
1.02
0.19
0.88
0.34
2.81
3.25
3.04
1
0.51**
0.36
0.72
1
0.68
0.39
1.17
1
0.66
0.60*
0.43
0.37
1.03
0.95
1
0.52*
0.72
0.31
0.39
0.87
1.33
1
0.55**
0.27**
0.37
0.14
0.81
0.53
1
0.49*
0.31**
0.29
0.14
0.84
0.67
1
0.32**
0.18
0.58
1
0.73
0.43
1.25
1
0.59
0.33
1.05
1
1.04
0.49
2.23
1
0.50
0.19
1.32
1
0.29*
0.10
0.85
1
1.82*
1.27
1.13
0.53
2.93
3.03
1
1.04
0.71
0.70
0.31
1.55
1.63
1
1.28
0.85
1.92
1
0.91
0.53
1.58
1
1.50*
1.08
2.09
1
1.52*
1.02
2.27
1
7.28**
4.02
13.16
1
3.49**
1.80
6.75
1
7.55**
3.88
14.69
1
4.79**
2.45
9.39
1
4.22**
3.03
5.89
1
2.77**
1.75
4.37
1
2.64**
1.93
3.62
1
1.66*
1.10
2.51
98
BZD/non-BZD PIM
OR
Lower
Upper
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
1
1.52*
0.58
1.40
1.06
0.19
0.80
2.19
1.79
2.43
*P < 0.5. Adjusted for age, sex, urbanization, body mass index, education,
marital status, monthly household income, exercise, drinking, smoking, betel
chewing, Charlson comorbidity index, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, activity
of daily living, instrumental activity of daily living, and antidepressants.
BZD, benzodiazepines; CI, condence interval; DM, diabetes mellitus; nonBZD, nonbenzodiazepines; OR, odds ratio; PIM, potentially inappropriate
medications.
hypnotic side-effects (e.g. next-day residual performance decits), withdrawal, or rebound insomnia in
several randomized trials.37
Hermans and Evenhuis reported that increased
depressive symptoms were positively associated with
the number of life events during the past year and the
occurrence of chronic diseases (heart failure, stroke,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary
artery disease, DM, and malignancy) in the previous
5 years; they also indicated that depressive symptoms were negatively associated with IADL.38
Pawaskar et al. also reported that increased risk of
depression was associated with lower health-related
quality of life and higher impairments in IADL in elderly
patients.39 In addition, our results showed that physical function disability and history of chronic disease
such as hyperlipidaemia were associated with
depression. Older people with both DM and physical
function impairments may be less capable of managing the disease, thus increasing their risk of depression. These ndings are consistent with the results of
the study by Pawaskar et al.
An interesting nding in the present study was that
chewing betel nut was associated with a reduced risk
of depression (OR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.100.85). In previous studies, arecoline, the main areca alkaloid of the
betel nut, was reported to have antidepressant effects
in animal models,40,41 and arecoline has also been
demonstrated to possess an antidepressant property
via Monoamine oxidase A inhibition.42 Our results are
certainly compatible with those ndings. However, the
association in the present study was only found in the
univariate analysis. Whether chewing betel affects
depression remains a controversial issue.
Exercise, especially regular exercise, which has
psychological benets such as enhanced mental well 2015 The Authors
Psychogeriatrics 2015 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Chung Shan Medical University
Hospital and Yu-Hsun Wang for their support and
contributions.
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