Zhongguo quanke yixue (Aug 2024)

Clinical Characteristics Analysis of Hospitalized Elderly Depression Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism

  • CHEN Ling, KONG Xiaoming, SUN Yan, HONG Hong, ZHANG Li

DOI
https://doi.org/10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2023.0619
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 24
pp. 2982 – 2986

Abstract

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Background Geriatric depression is a severe mental illness distinct from depression in other age groups, characterized by significant heterogeneity. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is a state of hypothyroidism with subtle clinical signs. The impact of SCH on elderly depression is easily overlooked, and the association between SCH and elderly depression is not well understood. Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of hospitalized elderly depression patients with SCH. Methods Depressed patients hospitalized in the Fourth People's Hospital of Hefei from April 2019 to March 2023 were included in the study and divided into the subclinical hypothyroidism depression (SCHD) group (n=108) and control depression (CD) group (n=110). General data of the subjects was collected, fasting venous blood samples were collected for testing biochemical markers, and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24) was used to assess depressive symptoms. Results The SCHD group showed a higher number of antipsychotic drug use, comorbid somatic diseases, days of hospitalization, and duration of the disease than the CD group (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the types of antidepressants used and the number of hospitalizations (P<0.05). The sleep disorder scores of patients in the SCHD group were higher than those in the CD group (P<0.05), and there was a significant difference in body mass and diurnal variation scores between the two groups (P<0.05). The SCHD group had higher levels of thyrotropin and lower levels of serum free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine than the CD group (P<0.05) . Conclusion Elderly depression patients with SCH exhibit unique clinical characteristics, including longer hospitalization, more frequent episodes, greater difficulty to cure, and poorer prognosis, making interventions for SCH essential.

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