Perfil epidemiológico do envelhecer com depressão

Resumo (EN)

Introduction -The aim of this work was to identify the epidemiologic pattern of an elderly population, with signs and symptoms of depression in "Programa Sande da Familia" (PSF) from Policlinics de Campinas, Sao Jose, SC, Brazil. Materiel and Methods -Data were collected in May, 2003, in the form of home visits in the community as well as visits at the asylum "Lar dos Velhinhos de Zulma", including a sample size of 36 elderly individuals. Results -The results showed a prevalence of individuals above 80 years old among the elderly refugees, as well as a prevalence of the feminine sex, while in the community the elderly individuals were equally distributed among the age groups. The main diseases found among the studied group were: hypertension, diabetes, rheumatic diseases and cerebral vascular accident. The main causes of depression were: family abandonment, sedentarysm, physical diseases and losses of dear entities. Conclusion - Overall, depression is an important disease in elderly population, but such problem is not yet recognized as a disease by the majority of population in present days.