Objective

To estímate the effects of undiagnosed depressive symptoms and diabetes on the all-cause mortality of elderly men and women.

Methods and materials

A sample of people aged 60 and over was used from the Mexican Health and Aging Study 2001-2015. Depressive symptoms were determined with a validated version among older Mexican adults of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and diabetes by self-report. Mortality was estimated with Cox proportional hazards models by sex.

Results

A gradient in mortality risk was estimated between older men and women: the lowest risk was for those who only had depressive symptoms, followed by those who only had diabetes. Thus, the highest risk of death was estimated for individuals with diabetes and undiagnosed depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Undiagnosed depressive symptoms increase mortality among older men and women with diabetes, and even among non- diabetics. It is suggested the development of early detection and treatment programs for depression in diabetic elderly people.

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