The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Sep 2006
Multicenter StudyDoes depression in older medical inpatients predict mortality?
Previous studies of the effect of depression on mortality among older medical inpatients have yielded inconsistent results. We examined the effects on mortality of both a diagnosis of depression at hospital admission and a history of previous depression, taking into account potential sources of bias (sample selection and confounding). ⋯ Among patients with no history of depression, a diagnosis of depression was not associated with mortality after adjustment for confounding by physical illness and other factors. Coincident major depression and history of depression was associated with decreased mortality.