Magnitude of Coexisting Cognitive Impairment and Depression among Elderly in Urban Field Practice Area of Mysuru City, Karnataka

Background: Cognitive impairment(CI) is an important clinical issue among elderly patients with depression and has a more complex etiology. The objective of the present study was to screen a representative sample of adults aged ≥60 years for the prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Depression.

Method: A Community based Cross-sectional study done among 290 elderly in a declared slum area, Medar’s block, Mysuru city, Karnataka. Standard tools like Mini-Cog questionnaire was used to assess Cognitive Impairment and Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS) to estimate the prevalence of depression.

Results: Among the study participants, 201(69.3%) belonged to the age group of 60-69 years and most of them belonged to medium Standard of living Index(SLI) 201(69%). The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 132(45.5 %) and suggestive depression was seen in 141(48.6%) of the elderly.

Conclusion: There was an association between cognitive impairment and depression which in turn had a significant impact on activities of daily living. Early diagnosis of these problems with appropriate intervention can bring about significant change in the quality of life among the elderly.