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Journal article
Asthma and depression in older American adults: An analysis of Medicare recipients
Respiratory Care, Vol.online ahead of print
12/05/2025
Abstract
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.
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Details
- Title
- Asthma and depression in older American adults
- Publication Details
- Respiratory Care, Vol.online ahead of print
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2025
- Identifiers
- 99381559030806600
- Academic Unit
- Usha Kundu, MD College of Health; Health Sciences and Administration
- Language
- English