Depression that first manifests
in midlife or later may be a harbinger of dementia, a new study says. The study was published in the Archives of
General Psychiatry (Volume 69, page 493).
Researchers reviewed data from
the records of more than 13,000 adults who were long-term members of the Kaiser
Permanente Medical Care Program and who had signed up in the 1960s and 1970s to
participate in a research study for middle-aged people.
To identify midlife depression,
the researchers reviewed surveys that had asked participants whether they often
felt unhappy or depressed, and they examined hospital records to identify
admissions related to a diagnosis of depression. More recent medical records were also
reviewed to identify late-life depression and dementia diagnoses.
In participants with depressive
symptoms in late life - whether or not they were combined with midlife symptoms
- the risk of Alzheimer's was doubled. Combined midlife and late-life
depressive symptoms more than tripled the risk of vascular dementia.
Takeaway Message
These findings don't prove that
depression that first occurs in midlife or beyond is a sign of dementia.
Moreover, the researchers didn't attempt to determine whether treatment could
reduce risk. Still, if you are experiencing depression, it's important to
discuss it with your doctor. Effective treatments for depression are available.
(Source: John Hopkins Health Alert, Posted
in Memory, 9 September 2013)
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