OBJECTIVE: Evaluate whether the depressive symptoms are associated to an unfavorable hospital course (increased hospital stay and mortality), independent of the functional capacity. METHOD: Cohort-longitudinal and the inpatients in Medical Clinical on University Hospital Lauro Wanderley were submitted to interview in 2nd and in the day of hospital discharge. The GDS-15 (Geriatric Depression Scale) was utilizated to assess the depressive symptoms and the Barthel Indice to assess the disability in Activities of Daily Living. RESULTS: The age of hundred patients were between 60 to 96 years (69.47 ± 7.45). The hospital mortality was associated at the beginning of hospitalization (p = 0.001). Correlation was observed between the scores of the GDS-15 and IBAIVD early (p = 0.008) and end of hospitalization (p = 0.01), verifying inverse linear correlation (p = -0.30), but the magnitudes weak (p = -0.30 and p = -0.28 respectively). CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms were associated with higher mortality, independent of functional capacity. It emphasizes the importance of assessing depressive symptoms in the elderly in hospitals. New studies and prospective analyzes may provide more indicators for the understanding of this research problem.
Depression; elderly; mortality
