Health News Feature
Weekly news feature articles on current health topics that affect you and your family.
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Health News Feature
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'Holiday blues' in elderly can also lower the immune system (HealthDay News) – While most of us experience the holiday season as a happy -- even joyous -- time, the heightened emotions associated with it can have a bad effect on some people, especially the elderly. And research has shown that there may be a link between even a mild case of the holiday blues and physical illness, because depression can suppress a person's immune system. An Ohio State University study found older adults who had symptoms of depression also had decreased immune system function. "Even a mild level of depressive symptoms can have important implications for older adults and their health outcomes," says lead researcher Lynanne McGuire, who was a postdoctoral student at the time and now is assistant professor of c linical psychology and behavioral medicine at the University of Maryland , Baltimore County . About 5 million Americans over the age of 65 are believed to have diagnosable depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. However, the Ohio State study says another 12 percent to 20 percent in this age group could have milder cases of depression. McGuire and her colleagues examined 78 adults whose average age was 72.5 years. Just over half of them were caring for spouses with dementia. The group completed psychological evaluations, and had blood tests at the start of the study and again 18 months later. The research was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology . From the psychological evaluations, the researchers found 22 people had symptoms of depression -- 15 from the care-giving group and seven from the non-caregiver group. Then, they tested the blood to look at one part of immune function -- T-cell production. T-cells are "killer" cells in the immune system that attack foreign cells, such as those found in viruses and some types of cancer. "On average, people with depressive symptoms showed poorer T-cell responses," McGuire says, which means depressed patients would be more susceptible to infectious diseases and probably some cancers. For instance, the researchers found that at the 18-month blood test, those in the depressed group had T-cell counts that were 15 percent lower than the non-depressed group. In addition, among the depressed adults, those older than 72 had T-cell readings that were 23 percent lower than the others. The researchers also found the severity of the depression didn't matter. What mattered more was the length of the disease. McGuire says the study suggests there is a biological process that accompanies depression. However, she adds, researchers can't yet explain why such changes take place. "This study establishes a relationship," says Dr. Carl Eisdorfer, director of the Center on Aging and chairman emeritus of the department of psychiatry & behavioral sciences at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "Now, we need to figure out what's causing these changes, so that we might find ways to intervene." Intervention, even for mild depression, may be even more important for the elderly, adds Dr. Melinda Lantz, a geriatric psychiatrist in New York . "This study shows that even being mildly depressed can impair your immunity," Lantz says, and "immunosuppression is always more burdensome in older adults." She explains that when older people get sick, it's harder for them to function and it takes them longer to recover. Lantz notes the elderly often don't like to complain about feeling blue, and don't tell their physicians how they're feeling. Therefore, it's important for older adults to remain active and social. If you're feeling down, join the senior center in your area or take a class -- anything to get out of the house and around other people. On the Web For more information on depression in older people, here is a good roundup from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. SOURCES:
Interviews with Lynanne McGuire, Ph.D., assistant professor, c linical psychology, behavioral medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Md.; Melinda Lantz, M.D., geriatric psychiatrist, New York City; Carl Eisdorfer, M.D., Knight professor and director, Center on Aging, professor and chairman emeritus, department of psychiatry & behavioral sciences, University of Miami Medical School, Miami, Fla.; February 2002 Journal of Abnormal Psychology
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