Asthma and depression in older American adults: An analysis of Medicare recipients

Background Individuals with asthma are disproportionately affected by depression relative to those without asthma. However, this relationship in those ≥65 years of age with asthma remains unclear. This study aims to determine the association between asthma and depression in individuals aged ≥65 receiving Medicare support. Methods A pooled cross-sectional analysis of Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data examined the association between asthma and depression from 2018 to 2020. Depression was defined as a score of ≥10 from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Disease-related variables were recorded if the subject met Medicare claims criteria for the calendar year regardless of sufficient fee-for-service coverage. Adjusted regression models were developed to determine the association between prevalent asthma, comorbidities, gender, area deprivation index, and depression. Results Among 31,064 individuals available for analysis, the weighted prevalence of depression in subjects with asthma was 38.6%. The adjusted regression model indicated that asthma was not independently associated with depression in this population (odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.96–1.45]). Subjects with asthma and anxiety (OR = 1.11, 95% CI [1.06–1.16]), cardiovascular disease (OR = 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.15–1.32]), or diabetes (OR = 1.30, 95% CI [1.24–1.36]) were more likely to report concomitant depression. Women ≥65 years of age with asthma had greater odds of reporting depression compared to men with asthma (OR = 1.09, 95% CI [1.06–1.12]). Conclusions Based on our findings, in older adults in the United States, asthma is not independently associated with greater odds of depression when compared to those without asthma.