Paola Rocca, MD; Paolo Calvarese, PhD; Fabrizio Faggiano, MD; Livio Marchiaro, MD; Federica Mathis, BS; Elisa Rivoira, MD; Barbara Taricco, PhD; and Filippo Bogetto, MD
Objective: The aim of this study was to compare
over 1 year the effect of sertraline and citalopram on depressive
symptoms and cognitive functions of nondemented elderly patients
with minor depressive disorder and subsyndromal depressive
symptomatology.
Method: We recruited 138 consecutive nondemented
outpatients of either sex, aged >= 65 years, who were
classified as meeting research criteria for minor depressive
disorder or subsyndromal depressive symptomatology using the
Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Subjects were assigned
to receive citalopram 20 mg/day (66 patients) or sertraline 50
mg/day (72 patients) orally for 1 year. Patients were assessed at
baseline and after 1, 2, 3, and 6 months and at 1 year by raters
masked with regard to patients' treatment assignments. The
Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Geriatric Depression
Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning were administered
to assess the course of depressive symptoms and social
functioning during the study. Cognitive measures included Trail
Making Test-Parts A and B, Wechsler Memory Scale, Mini-Mental
State Examination, and a verbal fluency test. Data were collected
from March 2000 to March 2003.
Results: The overall completion rate was 72%.
Both treatments induced a significant, sustained, and comparable
improvement in depressive symptoms and in social functioning.
Nearly half of the subjects in the 2 groups achieved remitter
status at study endpoint. Significant within-group improvements
also were observed in all cognitive measures. Both drugs were
well tolerated during the whole study period.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that sertraline
and citalopram can improve depressive symptoms and cognitive
functions of minor depressive disorder and subsyndromal
depressive symptomatology in elderly nondemented patients.
J Clin Psychiatry 2005;66(3):360-369
© Copyright 2005 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.