Severity of Cognitive Impairment and Its Correlation With Depressive Symptoms and Influencing Factors in Elderly Patients With Chronic Diseases

BACKGROUND: Elderly individuals frequently suffer from chronic underlying disease like hypertension and diabetes. These illnesses not only impair physical health but also show a close link to elevated rates of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms. The mutual influence between these two issues can further diminish the quality of life of elderly patients. Nevertheless, there remains a shortage of systematic investigations into the cognitiveemotional relationship within this specific population. METHODS: A total of 206 elderly patients with chronic underlying disease were enrolled retrospectively. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Depressive symptoms were evaluated via the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). To analyse the correlation between cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms, the Spearman correlation analysis, univariate analysis, and multivariate Logistic regression were employed. RESULTS: , number of chronic diseases ≥2.5, GDS-15 score ≥4.5 points, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support score ≥52.5 were independent risk factorsfor moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: The severity of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with comorbid chronic underlying diseases increases with the exacerbation of depressive symptoms.