Skip to content
Techie News UK Logo
Menu
  • Home
Menu

Increase In Depression May Predict ‘Dementia’

Posted on 1 May 2016

Depression
A new research study says that if the symptoms of depression steadily increase over time in older age, it could indicate early signs of dementia.

The study emphasized that other patterns of symptoms, such as chronic depression, did not appear to be linked to dementia.

The research was published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

For the study, Dutch researchers analysed more than 3,000 adults aged 55 and over living in the Netherlands. All the adults had depression, but had no symptoms of depression at the commencement of the study.

The Dutch study is among the first to look at different patterns of symptoms of depression.

The researchers looked at the different ways in which depression in older adults increased with the passage of time and analysed if this was linked to any risk.

The researchers concluded that the progression of depression in older age could signal the early signs of dementia.

Dr M Arfan Ikram of the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam said,

“There are a number of potential explanations, including that depression and dementia may both be symptoms of a common underlying cause, or that increasing depressive symptoms are on the starting end of a dementia continuum in older adults.”

He said that the progression of depressive symptoms over time is a better predictor of dementia later in life than other paths of depression.

The results of the study showed that about one in five of people in the group developed dementia.

The researchers concluded that only the group whose symptoms of depression increased over time was at increased risk of dementia, while the group that had waxing or waning symptoms of depression was not at increased risk of dementia.

In the participants who experienced low but stable levels of depression, around 10% went on to develop dementia.

Can Dememtia Be Prevented?

Dr Simon Ridley, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said,

“The findings suggest that low levels of depression or fluctuating symptoms may not affect dementia risk but that a worsening of symptoms in the over-55s may be an early indicator of diseases like Alzheimer’s,” he said.

“It’s important to remember that only a relatively small number of people experiencing symptoms of depression went on to develop dementia during this 11-year study, but anyone concerned about either condition should talk to their GP.”

Dr Simone Reppermund from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, said more studies were needed to understand the link between depression and dementia.

“A focus on lifestyle factors such as physical activity and social networks, and biological risk factors such as vascular disease, neuroinflammation, high concentrations of stress hormones, and neuropathological changes, might bring new treatment and prevention strategies a step closer,” she wrote in a linked editorial in the journal.

 

Rashmi
Rashmi

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Norton Secure VPN Ad

Advertisement

Recent Posts

  • Most Watched Netflix Movies in the UK
  • 4 Best British Technology and Science YouTube Channels
  • Most Watched Netflix Movies in Ireland
  • 5 Weird Things That Surprise Tourist About Technology in Ireland
  • British And Irish Science Influencers on TikTok
Norton Secure VPN Ad

Advertisement

Categories

  • Apple
  • Apps
  • Books
  • Business
  • Cars
  • Cloud
  • Compliance
  • Entertainment
  • Featured
  • Future Tech
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • General Tech
  • Global Tech News
  • Health
  • History
  • Industry Voice
  • Influencers
  • Management
  • Mobile
  • Open Source
  • Podcasts
  • Public Sector
  • Roundup
  • Science
  • Security
  • Software
  • Tablets
  • Techie Deals
  • Technology
  • UK & Ireland Tech News
  • Web
  • World
  • WTF
©2025 Techie News (UK and Ireland) | techienews.co.uk   Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | ***DMCA Policy***    🇬🇧 🇮🇪
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT