Demographic changes with the aging of the worldwide population imply an increase in prevalence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus. Many studies have suggested that depression is higher in diabetic patients, and that this association often contributes to under-recognition of the illness, limiting adequate metabolic control.

To study the association between depression and adherence to treatment in elderly diabetic patients.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with elderly outpatients (≥65 years) from the Internal Medicine Department in São João Hospital (CHSJ, Porto). Patients unable to communicate were excluded. Anxiety and depression were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale/HADS, and adherence to treatment with a clinical interview and from medical records.

The final sample included 78 patients, with an average of 75.3 (sd = 6.75) years. They were mostly female (80%), married (66.7%) and with low education level (62.8%). The mean number of comorbidities was 5.76 (sd = 1.6) and 98.7% took ≥5 drugs. In this sample, 23.1% had cognitive impairment, 16.7% depression and 24.4% anxiety. Patients not adhering to treatment presented a higher depression score, when compared with adherents (median 6vs3), even without statistical significance (P = 0.56).

Diabetic patients not adhering to treatment tend to present more depression, in spite of the lack of statistical significance. These results suggest that depression can limit the adherence to treatment, which is in line with previous studies. In this context, the early diagnosis and treatment of depression seems to be an important target in the management of diabetes, particularly in elderly patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.