Citation

van Balkom AJ, Beekman AT, de Beurs E, Deeg DJ, Van Dyck R, van Tilburg W. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2000; 101(1): 37-45.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10674949

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate patterns of comorbidity among the anxiety disorders in a community-based older population, and the relationship of these disorders with major depression, use of alcohol and benzodiazepines, cognitive impairment and chronic somatic illnesses. METHOD: The data were derived from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) study. A two-stage screening design was adopted to identify respondents with anxiety disorders. RESULTS: In total, 10% of the elderly with an anxiety diagnosis suffered from two or more anxiety disorders. Major depression (13% vs. 3%), benzodiazepine use (24% vs. 11%) and chronic somatic diseases (12% vs. 7%) were significantly more prevalent in respondents with an anxiety disorder than in respondents without anxiety disorders. Heavy or excessive alcohol intake (5% vs. 4%) and cognitive impairment (11% vs. 13%) were not significantly associated with any anxiety disorder. CONCLUSION: When anxiety disorders are diagnosed, in older people there is a relatively high probability of comorbid conditions being present.

Language: en