Depressive morbidity among elderly individuals who are hospitalized, reside at long-term care facilities, and are under outpatient care in Brazil: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES i) To investigate studies published between 1991 and 2010 on the prevalence of depressive morbidity (major depressive disorder [MDD], dysthymia and clinically significant depressive symptoms [CSDS]) among elderly Brazilians assisted at healthcare facilities; ii) to establish the prevalence of depression and identify its related factors; and iii) to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of depressive syndrome among elderly individuals assisted or hospitalized at healthcare facilities. METHODS Studies were selected from articles dated between January 1991 and June 2010 and extracted from the MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases. RESULTS The final analysis consisted of 15 studies, distributed as follows: i) four sampled hospitalized patients, totaling 299 individuals, and found a prevalence of CSDS varying between 20 and 57% [corrected]; ii) four sampled outpatients, totaling 1,454 individuals; the prevalence of CSDS varied between 28 and 45% [corrected], and the prevalence of MDD varied between 23 and 42%; and iii) seven sampled elderly individuals residing in long-term care facilities (LTCF), totaling 839 individuals, and the prevalence of CSDS varied between 11 and 65%. CONCLUSION The present review indicated a higher prevalence of both MDD and CSDS among elderly Brazilians assisted at healthcare facilities.