Risk Factors for Depression Among Middle-Aged to Older People Living With HIV in Lima, Peru.

Introduction: Depression is prevalent among aging people living with HIV (PLWH) worldwide. We sought to identify depression risk factors among a group of middle-aged and older PLWH in Lima, Peru.

Materials and methods: We assessed risk factors for depression among PLWH over age 40 receiving care in an HIV clinic in Lima, Peru. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was administered. We performed descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses.

Results: Mean age was 51.7 ± 7.7 years with 15.3% females. One-quarter of participants had depression with higher frequency in females. Risk factors that significantly increased the risk of depression included female sex (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 2.19 [95%CI 1.07-4.49]), currently smoking (aPR = 2.25 [95%CI 1.15-4.43]), and prior opportunistic infection (aPR = 2.24 [95%CI 1.05-4.76]).

Discussion: Our study demonstrates that PLWH who are female, current smokers, or had an opportunistic infection have higher risk of depression. Identifying PLWH at-risk for depression is key to early mental health interventions.