CORRELATION BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL DEPENDENCY AND THE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH COPD

Abstract

COPD is a prevalent and treatable disease characterized by obstruction to airflow irreversibly associated with the presence of chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema mainly by-long time exposure to tobacco and harmful gases. The main symptoms are developed dyspnea and fatigue that compromise the functional dependency and in association with aging, predisposed to depression and anxiety. Thus, the aim of this study is to verify the correlation between functional dependency and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the elderly with COPD with the use of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms and functional dependence, in isolation, in elderly with COPD taking into account gender. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 43 individuals were selected from the André Luíz charitable association (ABAL) in Rio Verde, Goiás. After the practical application of research in 2015, the main result were: In FIM 80,95% of the sample obtained some degree of functional dependence while 19,05% was independent; In GDS, 23,8% didn’t have depression while 76,1% had degrees of depression. In two scales, there were differences in scores and percentages between the sexes. To relate the FIM and GDS data by the Pearson Correlation, the result didn’t’ present statistically significant correlation. So, it was possible to conclude that there isn’t, in this study, a direct correlation between functional dependence and the prevalence of depressive symptoms, although the presence of this two factors alone in people analyzed should be taken into account as they represent worse prognoses for the disease.