These signs can appear 25 years before the onset of Alzheimer's
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Dementia can refer to any number of conditions characterized by cognitive decline, but Alzheimer's disease is the most common. Memory loss can be a hallmark, but depressive symptoms can precede the onset of cognitive symptoms by decades.
According to Dementia UK, several studies have shown that depressive symptoms at the onset of Alzheimer's disease are significantly associated with the development Alzheimer's disease.
A study called “Depression as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease: The MIRAGE Study” attempted to evaluate the relationship between depressive symptoms and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
A total of 1,953 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 2093 of their healthy relatives were enrolled in the Multi-Institutional Study of the Genetic Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease (MIRAGE).
The aim of MIRAGE was to identify genetic and non-genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The study assessed the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease with and without depressive symptoms, adjusting for age, sex, education, history of head injury, and apolipoprotein E status.
What did the researchers find?
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A significant relationship between depressive symptoms and Alzheimer's disease was found. In families where depressive symptoms first appeared within one year before the onset of Alzheimer's disease, the association was higher.
In families where depressive symptoms first appeared more than a year before the onset of Alzheimer's disease, the association was lower. Where depressive symptoms first appeared more than 25 years before the onset of Alzheimer's disease, there was a modest association.
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