Depression in mild dementia: associations with diagnosis, APOE genotype and clinical features

• Published in: International journal of geriatric psychiatry 2011-10, Vol.26 (10), p.1054-1061
• Main Authors: Fritze, Friederike, Ehrt, Uwe, Sønnesyn, Hogne, Kurz, Martin, Hortobágyi, Tibor, Nore, Sabine Piepenstock, Ballard, Clive, Aarsland, Dag
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer's disease; Apolipoprotein E; Apolipoprotein E4 - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Dementia; Dementia - genetics; Dementia - psychology; Dementia disorders; dementia with Lewy bodies; Depression; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Geriatric psychiatry; Geriatric psychology; Geriatrics; Humans; Inventories; Lewy bodies; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mental depression; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neuropsychology; Norway - epidemiology; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychoanalysis; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0885-6230; 1099-1166; 1099-1166
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.2643

Background Depression is common in dementia, with important clinical implications. Few studies of depression in dementia with Lewy bodies are available, and the results are inconsistent. Objective To examine the frequency of depression and its characteristics and correlates, in people with mild dementia. Methods All referrals for patients with a first time diagnosis of dementia to geriatric and older psychiatry outpatient clinics in the counties of Rogaland and Hordaland in Western Norway from March 2005 to March 2007 were screened for the study. Participants and their caregivers underwent a comprehensive and standardised diagnostic and assessment procedure. The depression subitem of the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPId) and Montgomery and Åsberg depression rating scale (MADRS) were used to estimate depression. Cut‐off scores for any depression were 0/1 (NPId) and 6/7 (MADRS), and for clinically significant depression 3/4 and 14/15, respectively. Results Two hundered and twenty‐three subjects with dementia participated, of whom 59 and 50% showed symptoms of depression assessed by NPI or MADRS, respectively, and 25 and 16% had clinically significant depression as measured by NPI and MADRS, respectively. Depression was more frequent in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) than in Alzheimer's disease (AD; p