Depression in elderly hypertensives and diabetics in the context of Primary Health Care

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression among elderly persons diagnosed with hypertension and / or diabetes, assisted by Family Health Strategy teams. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study, conducted from October 2010 to March 2011, with 66 elderly patients with hypertension and / or diabetes, attended at a Health Unit, by applying the Geriatric Depression Scale. Results: It was found that 31.8% of the subjects had depression, of whom 27.3% were characterized as having mild depression (score 6-10 points) and 4.5% with severe depression (score 11 or higher). Conclusion: Based on the high prevalence of depression in elderly patients in primary care, initiatives are necessary for the proper diagnosis and treatment of depression in this population, aimed at improving life expectancy and quality of life of the elderly.