Cognitive performance in older elderly men with late-life depression and cardiovascular comorbidities: symptomatological correlation

Abstract

BackgroundWhether depression or cardiovascular disease would have a greater effect on worsening cognitive impairment in the burgeoning older elderly population is uncertain. Which disorder causes greater cognitive impairment was investigated.MethodsA cross section of 207 cognitively impaired older elderly (≥75 years old) men was recruited from outpatient clinics in southern Taiwan between 2004 and 2008. Their medical charts were reviewed for their history of medical illnesses, and those undergoing a current major depressive episode were screened using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Four groups of men were enrolled: 33 healthy controls (HC), 101 cognitively impaired patients with cardiovascular comorbidities (CVCs), 34 patients with late-life depression (LLD), and 49 patients with LLD and cardiovascular comorbidities (LLD + CVC). Several neuropsychological tests (e.g., Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), WCST, and Trail Making Test (TMT) parts A and B) were used to assess the participants.ResultsCognitive function scores were highest in the HC group and lowest in the LLD + CVC group. There were no significant differences between the two groups with LLD comorbidity, and LLD was mostly associated with cognitive performance. LLD + CVC group members had the lowest recall memory, but their overall MMSE score was not significantly different. Moreover, this group had a higher but nonsignificantly different perseverative error than did the LLD group. Similarly, the LLD + CVC group was nonsignificantly slower at the TMT-A and TMT-B tasks than was the LLD group.ConclusionsLLD worsens neuropsychological function more than cardiovascular comorbidities do.

Cognitive performance of community-dwelling oldest-old individuals with major depression: the Pietà study

“…In a study of men over the age of 75 years, Chang and colleagues could not identify any difference between healthy and depressed subjects in the MMSE recall memory subscale (Chang et al, 2013), which is in accordance with findings of our work. In a study conducted by Elderkin-Thompson, the results of the delayed recall memory tests did not differ significantly between depressed and control individuals.…”

“…Despite the prevalence of LLD, the growing oldest-old population and the impact of depressive syndromes on public health, few studies have specifically addressed the issue of cognitive dysfunction in oldest-old individuals with LLD (Xavier et al, 2001;Chang et al, 2013).…”

High performance older adults in a population-based sample with low education: Pietà study

“…In another study, people ≥ 75 years old without depressive symptoms had better scores on cognitive tests than older adults with depressive symptoms. 31 On the other hand, depressive symptoms have always been closely associated with cognitive complaints and cognitive impairment. This topic is often controversial due to the discussion about whether depressive symptoms are responsible for cognitive decline or are part of the dementia process, as an initial symptom.…”

Cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors accelerated cognitive deterioration in patients with late-life depression: a one-year prospective study

“…A cross-sectional study found that late-life depression patients with comorbid CVDs showed a higher but non significantly different perseverative error in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test measures than the group without CVDs (Chang et al, 2013), playing a role in the development of specific executive dysfunction (Rapp et al, 2005). In our study, we found that patients with late-life depression, comorbid CVDs, or related risk factors showed a higher rate of global cognitive deterioration than those without these comorbidities at one-year follow-up.…”