Prevalence and Sociodemographic correlates of depression in elderly patients with knee Osteoarthritis attending a Teaching Hospital in SouthWest Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease of the aged population and one of the leading causes of disability. Depressive symptoms are associated with increases in pain and functional limitations in knee OA. An increased risk of depression has been observed among the elderly that have knee OA due to unrelenting pain, excess suffering, and disability. This study aims to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of depression in elderly patients with knee OA attending UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital (UTH) Osogbo to help healthcare providers better understand the risk factors for these conditions and develop interventions that are tailored to the needs of this specific population.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study of 147 elderlies with knee OA attending Geriatric and Orthopaedic clinics was carried out. A geriatric depression scale (GDS) was used to assess depressive symptoms. The co-interaction of sociodemographic variables and GDS were determined using Chi-square and logistic regression statistics. Statistical significance was set at p-value of <0.05.

Results: There was a male-female ratio of 1:1.49 in this study. Most respondents were in their seventh decade, female, in a monogamous and nuclear family setting. Most had 3-5 children, and had secondary-level education. The prevalence of depression in the elderly with knee Osteoarthritis was 40.8% with a predominance of mild-moderate depression (34.7%), while severe depression was lower (6.1%). Age 60-64 years, extended family, and having six or more children were predictive of depression.

Conclusion: The prevalence of depression was high among elderlies with knee Osteoarthritis with a predominance of mild to mild-moderate depression.