Sintomas depressivos podem afetar o ângulo da cifose torácica e o desempenho físico em mulheres na menopausa

Abstract

In post-menopause, women are more susceptible to occurrence of psychiatric symptoms, with depression is the most common. This is associated with hormonal changes, such as a reduction in the production of estrogen and progesterone. Besides that, postmenopausal women also have a prominent curvature of the spine, which worsens over time, especially in the thoracic region, resulting in an increase in the angle of kyphosis and consequent limitations in physical function, affecting activities of daily living. In addition to these negative outcomes, postmenopausal women may also experience a decline in physical performance, especially gait speed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess whether there is an association between depressive symptoms, hyperkyphosis and decline of physical performance in postmenopausal women. This is an observational cross-sectional study with 137 postmenopausal women dichotomized into two groups using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15): depressive symptoms group (SD; n=58; 60.12±8.45) and without depressive symptoms group (SDP; n =79; 60.72±7.45). Thoracic kyphosis angle was evaluated by the flexicurve method. Functional tests were carried out to assess physical performance: Timed Up and Go (TUG), Five Times Stand Up and Sit Test (TLSCV), 6-minute Gait Speed (VM6min), Usual 10-meter Gait Speed (VM10mU), Gait Speed 10 meters Fast (VM10mR) and Walking Speed 400 meters (VM400m). Student's t and Chi-Square (χ2) tests were assessed to verify difference between groups. Linear Person Correlation and Linear Regression were performed to verify the association and strength of the linear relationship between the variables. The statistical significance adopted was p<0.05. The findings of this study demonstrated there is a positive correlation between the GDS-15 and the kyphosis angle. Besides that, hyperkyphosis was associated with TUG and TLSCV tests and was negative correlation with the tests: VM10mR, VM400m and VM6min. It was observed a positive correlation between depressive symptoms with TUG and TLSCV tests, and a negative correlation with all gait speed tests. In conclusion, there is an association between depressive symptoms and postural deviation with decline in physical performance in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, the interaction between depressive symptoms and postural deviation can predict the decline in physical performance in this population.