Psychosocial factors and metabolic parameters: is there any association in elderly people? The Massa Lombarda Project

Several studies claim that psychophysical stress and depression contribute significantly to cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. The aim of our research is to discover and analyse a possible relationship between two psychosocial disorders (depression and perceived mental stress) and traditional cardiovascular risk markers.

We selected 106 subjects (58 males and 48 females), mean age 79.5 +/- 3.8-years old, from the Massa Lombarda Project, an epidemiological study, including 7000 north Italian adult subjects. We carried out anamnesis, clinical and blood tests. Then, we administered the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ range score 0-1) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SRDS range score 50-70 Z), as validated instruments for depression and stress evaluation, which focus on the individual's subjective perception and emotional response. Statistical descriptive and inferential analyses of data collected were performed.

The multiple linear regression analysis showed a negative correlation between PSQ index score and uric acid, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure values, a positive and statistically significant correlation between PSQ index score and triglycerides (p < 0.05). We found an inverse relationship between Zung SRDS score and LDL-c, uric acid, glucose waist circumference values, this correlation was significant only for uric acid (p < 0.01). Besides, a positive and significant correlation between Zung SRDS and triglycerides (p < 0.05) was observed.

We suppose that psycho-emotional stress and depression disorder, often diagnosed in elderly people, may influence different metabolic parameters (triglycerides, uric acid and BMI) that are involved in the complex process of metabolic syndrome.