No menu items!
More
    Featured storiesHealth and LifestyleResearch and Developments

    Study Finds Late-Life Depression Associated with Increased Risk for Dementia

    By Press Releases
    (Credit: iStockphoto)
    (Credit: iStockphoto)

    Late-life depression is associated with an increased risk for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and, most predominantly, vascular dementia, according to the results of a new meta-analysis published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

    Previous studies have shown an association between depression and Alzheimer’s disease, but this is the first meta-analysis that specifically addresses the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in older adults with late-life depression.  The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Federal University of Minas Gerais School of Medicine, is also the first to show that late-life depression increases the risk of vascular dementia and that the risk of vascular dementia is greater than the risk of Alzheimer’s disease for older adults with depression.
    “All-cause dementia” refers to all dementia syndromes, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases.  Alzheimer’s disease is associated with memory problems and apathy in early stages, and impaired judgment, confusion, disorientation, behavior changes, and difficulty speaking in later stages.  Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia, and is associated with impaired judgment or ability to plan and complete tasks, as opposed to memory loss that is common in early stages of Alzheimer’s.
    “An understanding of how late-life depression increases the risk of dementia could lead to better prediction and prevention mechanisms,” said Meryl Butters, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and corresponding author of the study. “Early diagnosis and prevention of depression could have a major dual public health impact as they could also potentially prevent or delay cognitive decline and dementia in older adults.”
    Late-life depression is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses in older adults, affecting 15 percent of adults aged 65+ in the United States, or approximately 6 million people.  Depression in late-life may be a relapse of an earlier depression, or it can be triggered by chronic illness (including degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease), grief, placement in a nursing home, or hospitalization. Late-life depression is associated with poorer general health and higher incidences of cardiovascular disease.
    Although the symptoms of depression vary, clinical depression is characterized by an inability to function normally or complete daily tasks, over a prolonged period of time.
    The research evaluated a total of 23 community-based cohort studies as part of a meta-analysis to calculate the pooled risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in older adults with late-life depression.  The findings concluded those with late-life depression are:
    • 1.85 times more likely to develop all-cause dementia
    • 1.65 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease
    • 2.52 times more likely to develop vascular dementia

    The authors note that preventing depression and improving general health including cardiovascular health should be considered in public health policies associated with preventing and/or delaying the onset of dementia.

    “Fortunately, we already know that depression can be prevented and treated,” added Dr. Butters. “Now that we know the risks of dementia, we need to conduct clinical trials to investigate the impact of preventing depression on risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults.”
    This research was sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry at UPMC. (University of Pittsburgh)

    Stay in the Loop

    Get the daily email from CryptoNews that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop to stay informed, for free.

    Latest stories

    - Advertisement - spot_img

    You might also like...

    Stay in the Loop

    Get the daily email from CryptoNews that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop to stay informed, for free.

    Nulla vehicula massa eget aliquet sagittis. Nulla ac nisi mi. Proin mollis tortor non elit aliquet convallis.

    Tags

    . Liver inflammation'Foldit' Gamers Solve AIDS Puzzle that Baffled Scientists for Decade'hockey stick' curves'Microwave waste' to get biofuel'Skinny Gene' Discovered by Scientists"hooch"Namnam" or baby' food“Tubig Talino” “genetic engineering” and other “scientific” terms” anti-cancer cream” outstanding DOST scholars(HiRi)) What is exercise@BrookhavenLab#anticancer#Antimutagenic#CryptoNews#Dronedelivery#droneJollibeedelivery#dronemaildelivery#dronemaxdelivery#dronemcdodelivery#dronepizzadelivery#EndTB#LifeChangingPrinciples#naturalcancercure#seagames2019#SICW2018#usesofgumamela#WorldChildrensDay000 Facebook passwords1.4 million orders for world’s cheapest tablet in India10 Pesos additional pay for minimum wage earner in Metro Manila starting November 110 places to visit in London12th 3M Food Safety Assurance Seminar13th month pay13th National Forum on Health Research for Action1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty1982 Law of the Sea Convention1st Philippine International Science Fair2 Chronicles 7:142002 National Survey of Blindness2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act2010 L’Oreal-UNESCO Woman of Science awardee2011 drought2011 fireworks2012 ces2012 NLE passers2012 winner of PCHRD – Gruppo Medica Award20132013 Oil and Gas High-Performance Computing Workshop2021 blogging trends and predictions2022 Blogging Trends21st Nationwide Competitive Examination for the Fisheries Scholarship Program (FSP) – Industry Leaders255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society2600 GA Delft2nd annual Philippines International Cybersecurity Conferenc2nd ASEAN Dengue Day3-D phone3D camera3D images3d material for artificial liver3D printer3D printers3D printing of blood vessels3D printing of cells and blood vessels3D structure of the bone biopsy3M Philippines3M Philippines training on sterilization standards3M SPP3rd National Hypertension Awareness3rd SONA Full transcript4 Apps help you learn new language4S: Old design4th july fireworks4th SONA6th PNHRS Week7-Eleven7th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum and Product Exhibition7th National Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum and Product Exhibition8 out of 10 OFWs9/119/11 attack948299th Indian Science Congress9th Indian Science CongressAa bacterial infectiona beneficial and highly lucrative rural-based enterprisea climate for changea communication strategya dad to bea dog sheltera dronea droughta eating disorderA few cups of coffee a day may help keep the blues at baya fossil fuela kidneya link between gaming and better well-being and emotional functioning

    © Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv