Khaberni - Khaberni - A long-term British study found that specific depressive symptoms might be early indicators of dementia decades before the appearance of memory loss.
In the study, researchers analyzed health data from 5811 adults aged between 45 and69 years, asking them questions about their mental health that included 30 common symptoms of depression.
During a follow-up that lasted 23 years, 586 people developed dementia.
The research team found that individuals who showed five or more of six warning signs were more likely to develop dementia. These signs include:
Increased anxiety and stress.
Difficulty concentrating.
Loss of ability to cope with problems.
Lack of warmth and affection towards others.
Loss of self-confidence.
Dissatisfaction with performance of daily tasks.
The researchers explained that recognizing these symptoms might enable doctors to identify individuals at risk of developing dementia years before traditional symptoms like memory loss and confusion appear.
The results showed that loss of self-confidence increases the risk by 51%, while inability to cope with problems increases it by 49%, feeling lack of warmth and affection by 44%, and stress and anxiety by 34%. Dissatisfaction with daily task performance increases the risk by 33%, and difficulty concentrating by 29%.
Dr. Philip Frank, a researcher at University College London and the lead author of the study, said: "The findings suggest that the risk of dementia is linked to a specific set of depressive symptoms, not to depression in general. Monitoring these symptoms gives us a clearer picture of the individuals most at risk decades before the disease progresses."
Dr. Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at the Alzheimer's Society, suggests that "the relationship between dementia and depression is complex, but this study helps in understanding how they are connected and opens the door for early prevention."
The study was published in the journal "The Lancet Psychiatry".
