Diabetes, Depression and Alzheimer's are united (study)

Depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus were each associated with a higher risk of dementia and the risk was even greater among people with a diagnosis of depression and diabetes compared to people who had no disorder, according to an article published in theDigital edition of 'Archives of General Psychiatry'.

Diabetes and major depression are common in the western population and up to 20 percent of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus also suffer from depression.

Dr. Dimitry Davydow, from the University of Washington Medicine, in Seattle, United States, and co -authors examined the risk of dementia between people with depression, type 2 diabetes or both pathologies compared to individuals with any of themIn a group of more than 2.4 million citizens of Denmark, who were over 50 and did not suffer dementia between 2007 and 2013.

In general, 19.4 percent of individuals had a diagnosis of depression (477,133 people), 9.1 percent suffered diabetes 2 (223,174 individuals) and 3.9 percent (95,691 subjects) presented diabetes diagnosisand depressionThe average age at the time of the initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was 63.1 years and the Middle Ages at the beginning of the depression diagnosis was 58.5 years.

The authors found that during the study period, 2.4 percent of people (59,663) developed dementia and the average age of the diagnosis was almost 81 years.Of those individuals who presented dementia, 15,729 people (26.4 percent) had depression alone and 6,466 (10.8 percent) suffered only type 2 diabetes, while 4,022 (6.7 percent) had both disorders.

The results of the work indicate that type 2 diabetes was associated with 20 percent more risk for dementia and depression alone was linked to an 83 percent higher risk, while depression and type 2 diabetesIt was related to 117 percent more risk.The risk for dementia seemed even greater among study participants under 65.

"In view of the increasing social burden of chronic diseases, more research is needed to clarify the pathophysiological mechanisms that are linked to depression, DM [type 2 diabetes mellitus] and adverse results such as dementia and develop interventions aimed at preventingThese feared complications, "concludes the study.