Depression linked to increased Alzheimer’s risk

People suffering from memory problems who are depressed are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, new research claims.

The study published in the journal Neurology provides some encouraging news though, claiming the popular Alzheimer’s drug donepezil may delay the progression of the disease in people suffering with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or memory problems.

For the new study, researchers investigated 756 people with MCI between the ages of 55 and 91 for three years.

Of those, 208 were diagnosed with depression using a test that measures the severity and intensity of a person’s depressive symptoms. For every one point increase on the test, a participant’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease went up by three percent.

Participants were also given either vitamin E, donepezil or a placebo pill.

Researchers found at 1.7 years into the study among depressed people with mild cognitive impairment, 11 per cent of those taking donepezil developed Alzheimer’s disease compared to 25 percent of those who took vitamin E or placebo.

At 2.2 years, 14 per cent of those taking donepezil developed Alzheimer’s compared to 29 per cent of those who took vitamin E or placebo.

The drug had little effect in the group of people who were not depressed.