Objectives. This study aimed to assess the health status of a nationwide sample of elderly persons having arthritis and determine the prevalence of depressive symptomatology in this population. Methods. WebTV technology was utilized to administer health status and depression surveys to a nationally representative sample of 550 randomly selected older persons. Predetermined cutoff scores on Short Form-36 (SF-36) scale and Center for Epidemiological Scale for Depression (CES-D) were used to identify individuals with depressive mood. Results. Sixteen percent ( ) of the respondents were found to be at risk for depression. Key associations among health domains of SF-36 and CES-D variables were statistically significant and were in the expected direction. Discussion. The risk of depression among older adults who have arthritis is moderate. A significant decline in multiple domains of health of older persons is likely when depression coexists with arthritis. Early screening for depressive symptomatology and prompt treatment should be an essential part of arthritis management in primary care practice. 1. Introduction In 2001, an estimated 70 million Americans had some form of arthritis or other rheumatic conditions, a major increase over the previous estimate of 43 million cases reported in 1997 [1]. In 1992, arthritis cost the U.S. economy about $64.8 billion dollars (about 24% was due to direct medical costs, 76% due to indirect costs from lost wages) [2]. The cost of treating arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions in 1992 was $149.4 billion, which was about 2.5% of the Gross National Product [2, 3]. Because arthritis conditions do not usually cause death, quality of life (QOL) is a better indicator of the disease impact than mortality rates in a nonterminal disease like arthritis. In addition to the quality of life, arthritis can also negatively impact the well-being and satisfaction with life in people with severe forms of the disease [4, 5]. Debilitating nature of the disease, mainly due to chronic physical pain, can affect all aspects of a patient’s life, including the physical, behavioral, social, and psychological. Consequently, an overall evaluation of health status in arthritis is viewed to be important for broadening the focus of care and improving patient outcomes beyond survival. The adverse impact of arthritis on mental health of a patient has been documented frequently in the literature, particularly in the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [6–8]. Rates of depression are noticeably higher among patients with chronic pain such as
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