Depression and frequent attendance in elderly primary care patients.

Objective. The aims of this study is to investigate the association between depression and frequent attendance in elderly primary care patients. Moreover we compare prevalence and clinical characteristics of Frequent Attenders (FAs) in the elderly and non-elderly patients. Methods. Data are gathered from a national survey on depressive disorders in primary care. This cross-sectional, two-phase epidemiological study involved 191 primary care physicians (PCPs) and 1896 patients aged 14 and over. Screening for psychiatric disorders was conducted by using the GHQ-12. Subsequently, probable cases were assessed by the PCPs with the WHO ICD-10 Checklist for Depression. We consider FAs those subjects attending PCP practice more than once a month in the last six months. Results. Prevalence value of frequent attendance was 22.4% in the elderly. Depression was associated with frequent attendance in the elderly even after controlling for physical illness and unexplained somatic complaints. The risk for being a FA was more than two-fold in elderly than in non-elderly (cOR=2.58, 95%C.I. 1.97-3.37). Considering subjects without medical illness, depression increased the risk of being a FA five-fold among elderly, and three-fold among non-elderly. Conclusion. Frequent attendance in primary care is associated with depressive disorder in the elderly. Depression seems to play a more important role in determining frequent attendance in elderly patients in respect to non-elderly