Evidence of depression affecting multimorbidity in survey data from the Brazilian population

Objectives Depression is associated with multimorbidity, the occurrence of two or more chronic diseases. Although the effect of multimorbidity on depression is relatively well known, the opposite effect is less well studied. We aimed to examine the effect of depression on multimorbidity using data from a nationally representative Brazilian survey. Methods We used information from all respondents above 15 years of age of the Brazilian National Survey on Access, Use, and Promotion of the Rational Use of Medicines (PNAUM) from 2014. A structural equation model was fit to the data with a specification that included the relationship between depressive syndrome and multimorbidity, controlled by age and body mass index. Results The data set comprised 28,382 subjects. The model presented fit the data well, and revealed a statistically significant, positive, moderate-size effect (0.355) of depression on multimorbidity. Conclusion Depression appears to make a moderate contribution to the development of multimorbidity.