WASHINGTON, D.C.: A new study links worsening depression with the development of dementia.
Dutch researchers found that steadily worsening symptoms of depression pointed to a later diagnosis of dementia for some seniors. Scientists at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam in the Netherlands tracked over 3,000 adults age 55 and over with depression for 11 years, then monitored them for dementia for an additional 10 years. All patients suffered from depression at the beginning of the study, but not dementia.
Study results revealed that participants with increased depression symptoms were the only ones at an increased risk for developing dementia, as opposed to participants with fluctuating or steady symptoms. Twenty percent of the patients with worsening depression in the study developed dementia.
Although more research is needed, scientists say these findings add to a growing body of research revealing significant overlaps in depression and dementia….