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Depressive symptoms in the elderly: Association with total white blood cell count
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Depressive symptoms in the elderly: Association with total white blood cell count

S.Lori Brown, Marcel E. Salive, Jack M. Guralnik, Robert B. Wallace, Adrian M. Ostfeld and Dan Blazer
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, Vol.19(5), pp.849-860
09/1995
DOI: 10.1016/0278-5846(95)00115-C
PMID: 8539423
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-5846(95)00115-cView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

1. 1. The white blood cell (WBC) count in those with high depressive symptoms and non-depressed participants in the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) were compared. 2. 2. Of 3769 participants 10.8% had high depressive symptoms as assessed by the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. The mean white blood cell count was higher in the high depressive symptoms group compared to the non-depressed group (6.8 ± 0.12 × 109 WBC /1 and 6.5 ± 0.03 × 109 WBC/1, respectively, p < 0.01). 3. 3. Because older adults frequently have disabling chronic conditions which could both influence their leukocyte count and cause depressive symptoms, models were developed which controlled for the potential confounding. Even after adjusting for potential confounders, high depressive symptoms were still associated with higher white blood cell counts. © 1995.

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