The researchers also considered the possibility that a shift in depressive symptoms might be confined to women only, because they “are more vulnerable to depressive symptoms than men are.” However, sex was not found to be related to the level of depressive symptoms or to the change in depressive symptoms in unaffected or affected participants. “[Sex] was related to change in symptoms after the diagnosis, with symptoms tending to increase in men but decrease in women,” noted the authors.
“These findings suggest that some people experience a depressive reaction to the dementia of Alzheimer’s disease,” continued Dr. Wilson and colleagues. “Because this reaction occurs after the appearance of dementia, however, it is unlikely to account for the association of depressive symptoms with the incidence of dementia or mild cognitive impairment,” they concluded.
—Jessica Dziedzic