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Background: Old age is a period of life that presents many health and social challenges, resulting in a greater vulnerability to the development of mental disorders, including depression. There has been a growing interest in the relationship between depression and inflammatory factors, because of its potential clinical and therapeutic implications. Inflammatory processes, which were originally understood as a response to infection and trauma, appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of depression in the elderly. The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between the severity of depressive disorders and inflammatory parameters in people over 90 years of age., Methods: The study was conducted in Poland in 2017. The study population consisted of long-lived individuals, both living at home and staying in residential care homes. The participants were 90 people of both sexes (69 women and 21 men), aged between 90 and 103 years (mean = 92.36; SD = 2.98). The study was conducted using the diagnostic survey method with a questionnaire technique. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to carry out the analysis. The levels of selected inflammatory factors were determined using relevant laboratory tests., Results: In the study group, the highest percentage of people had symptoms of moderate depression (n = 36;40%), followed by those without depression (n = 35;38.9%). There was a weak negative correlation between GDS scores and fibrinogen levels (p ≤ 0.05). The logistic regression model showed no significant relationship between inflammatory parameters and the development of depressive disorders., Conclusions: Inflammatory parameters do not appear to predict the development of depressive disorders in people over 90 years of age., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of autoimmune origin for which there is currently no available cure. In the course of MS, next to neurological disorders, patients often present with chronic fatigue syndrome and depressive disorders, which impact on their daily function and quality of life. The aim of study was to analyse the relationship between serum parameters of iron metabolism and the severity of fatigue, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in MS patients., Methods: The study sample consisted of 90 people with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, age range 19-67 years, whose functional status evaluated using the Expanded Disability Status Scale in 90% of the participants did not exceed 3.5 points. Venous blood samples were collected for blood cell count determination and for the purposes of obtaining serum analysed for the concentrations of iron, ferritin, transferrin, transferrin saturation, unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), and total iron binding capacity (TIBC). The participants were also evaluated according to the Fatigue Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis., Results: Ferritin levels were significantly correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms (r = -0.22; p = 0.04) and quality of life assessment (r = 0.22; p = 0.04) in the MS patients. Moreover, the severity of fatigue and depressive symptoms was significantly linked to a deterioration in quality of life., Conclusions: Ferritin deficiency in MS patients is associated with an exacerbation of depressive disorders and a decline in quality of life. Symptoms of fatigue in MS patients are inversely proportional to mood and quality of life.

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Aim. The military service of Polish soldiers on missions abroad began in 1953. Many years of experience of the Polish army as well as the armed forces of other countries show that being in a mission area has a significant impact on soldiers’ mental health. Soldiers experience problems with anxiety disorders, depression and posttraumatic stress, which is associated with a difficult return to family life. The aim of the paper was to analyze psychosocial aspects of participation of the Polish Armed Forces in combat missions outside the country. Material and methods. The study involved a group of 102 soldiers serving in the Military Unit No. 4092 in Walcz, Military Unit No. 4094 in Walcz, and the Military Academy of Land Forces in Wroclaw. All subjects are veterans of missions outside Poland. The research method was the diagnostic survey method. Three standardized research tools were used: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), NEO-FFI Personality Inventory, Beck’s Depression Scale, and the author’s questionnaire. Results. The studies have shown relationships between the level of anxiety in soldiers – veterans of missions abroad and strong battlefield stressors to which they had been subjected, and their family situation and non-institutional methods of psychological support they had received during their stay in the mission area. During the studies a factor was distinguished that contributes to the feeling of incomprehension of soldiers by their relatives after returning home. Conclusions. 1. A higher level of anxiety is observed in soldiers who had experienced lifethreatening situations during their missions. 2. Having children is a factor that increases the level of anxiety in veterans on missions abroad. 3. Regular contact with families left behind in the country is associated with a lower sense of fear in soldiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Family Medicine & Primary Care Review is the property of Termedia Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)