The comorbidity of diabetes-depression and its association with disability amongst elderly prison inmates.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to verify the strength of association of depression as a comorbidity of diabetes with the presence of six types of disability in the elderly in prison.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: Cross-sectional association study based on a secondary analysis of the 2016 Peru National Penitentiary Census. The population were older adults, who were held in prisons in Peru. Inmates 60 years of age or older, and both sexes were included. The response variables were the six types of permanent disability. The exposure variables were the self-report of diabetes, depression and the comorbidity of depression with diabetes diagnosed by a health professional. The sample was constituted by 2. 658 older adults.

RESULTS: There was an increase in the probability of presenting the six disabilities analyzed due to the presence of comorbid diabetes with depression (p <0.05). The measure of greatest strength of association is for the disability to relate OR(a) 10.23, followed by the disability to move OR(a) 6.12 and the lowest strength of association found was for the hearing impairment OR(a) 2.80.

DISCUSSION: A significant increase was found in the probability of presenting the six disabilities analyzed due to the presence of comorbid diabetes with depression compared to suffering from only one of these conditions or not suffering from them.