Depressive syndromes and functional disability in dementia

The goals of this study were to assess (1) the prevalence of major and mino r depression in Alzheimer's disease (AD), ischemic vascular dementia (IVD), and mixed dementia (AD/IVD); (2) demographic and clinical variables that m ay be associated with depression; and (3) the relationship between depressi on severity and the level of functional impairment and cognitive decline. D emographic variables, depression diagnoses, Mini-Mental State Examination s cores, and Blessed Roth Dementia Rating Scale scores were compared in patie nts with AD (N = 582), TVD (N = 48), and mixed dementia (N = 61) using anal ysis of variance and linear regression models. Data were collected using st andardized rating instruments at the time of the patients' initial, evaluat ions at the University dementia clinics, The results were that (1) depressi on was related to lower education, (2) major depression was more prevalent in IVD compared to probable AD, and (3) functional impairment was greater i n patients with minor or major depression compared to patients without depr ession. Our data suggest that the level of functional disability in dementi a may be related to severity of depression. Additional studies are needed t o validate our results and examine the contribution of additional neurobiol ogic factors to the pathophysiology of depression in dementia.