title: Depressive symptoms predict incident dementia during short- but not long-term follow-up period.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whether depression is a long-term risk factor for dementia or represents a dementia prodrome is unclear. Therefore, we examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and dementia during short and long follow-up in a population-based cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Rotterdam Study, 4393 nondemented individuals were followed for incident dementia for 13.7 years by continuous monitoring. Cox proportional hazards models for different time intervals were used to estimate the risk of incident dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five-hundred eighty-two participants developed dementia during 13.7 years. Persons with depressive symptoms had an 8% increased risk of dementia compared with those without depressive symptoms during the overall follow-up. The risk was highest in the short and intermediate follow-up, particularly in men. We did not find an association in the follow-up period beyond 10 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that late-life depressive symptoms are part of a dementia prodrome rather than an independent risk factor of dementia.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Saira Saeed
authors: SS
authors: Mirza
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Renée F A G
authors: RF
authors: de Bruijn
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Nese
authors: N
authors: Direk
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Albert
authors: A
authors: Hofman
authors: Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Peter J
authors: PJ
authors: Koudstaal
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: M Arfan
authors: MA
authors: Ikram
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.tiemeier@erasmusmc.nl.
authors: Henning
authors: H
authors: Tiemeier
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Dementia; Depression; Epidemiology; Population-based