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Symptoms
of depression in older persons appear to be linked to a higher
risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St.
Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago.
The researchers
said more than 650 members of the Catholic clergy aged 65
years and older who participated in the study had an average
of one depressive symptom at the outset.
Over the
course of seven years, 108 participants developed Alzheimers,
with the risk of developing the disease rising by 19 percent
with each new depressive symptom, such as feelings of loneliness
or difficulty sleeping, the researchers reported in the journal
Neurology.
"The
results raise the possibility that depressive symptoms in
older persons may be associated with risk of developing Alzheimer's
disease," the researchers concluded.
Source:
Alzheimer Week
of August 18, 2002
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