Depression May Raise Dementia Risk In Your 40s Or Later Life: Study

If you or a loved one experiences persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or withdrawal바카라�don바카라�t ignore it.

For, depression isn바카라�t just about feeling low 바카라� it could be quietly harming your brain. A new study published in eClinicalMedicine reveals that depression at any stage can significantly increase the risk of developing dementia later in life.

Early treatment could be the first step in safeguarding your mind바카라�s future.

Researchers from universities in the UK and Australia analysed data from many studies and concluded that treating depression early could help protect your brain health over time.

The study was led by Jacob Brain and Maha Alshahrani from the Institute of Mental Health and School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, University of Adelaide and the Dementia Centre of Excellence at Curtin University in Australia.

Lead author Jacob Brain said that the study shows that depression is linked to an increased risk of dementia in both midlife and late life. 바카라�This highlights the importance of recognising and treating depression across the life course, not just for mental health, but also as part of a broader strategy to protect brain health. Public health efforts need to place greater emphasis on preventative brain health, including scaling up access to effective mental health care."

Dementia affects over 57 million people globally. Since there is currently no cure for dementia, so identifying and treating the factors to reduce the risk, such as depression, is an important public health priority.

The potential links between depression and dementia are complex and may include chronic inflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation, vascular changes, alterations to neurotrophic factors and neurotransmitter imbalances. Shared genetic and behavioural related changes may also increase the risks.

Previous studies have shown that people with depression are more likely to develop dementia later in life, but there바카라�s been a lot of debate about when depression matters most, whether it바카라�s depression that starts in midlife - in your 40s or 50s, or depression that appears later in life - in your 60s or beyond.

This new research brings together all the existing evidence and adds new analysis to examine this timing in more detail.

바카라�Our findings raise the possibility that depression late in life may not just be a risk factor, but it could also be an early warning sign of dementia beginning to develop. By clarifying this timing, our work helps guide future research, treatment, and prevention strategies,바카라� said Brain.

Jacob Brain added: 바카라�We specifically focused on the timing of when depression was measured, whether it was measured in midlife or in later life, and calculated how much it increased the risk of developing dementia. This essentially allowed us to provide a more accurate and up-to-date picture of how depression at different life stages is linked to dementia risk.바카라�

This finding is especially important for India, where both dementia and depression are growing public health challenges. Around 7.4% of Indian adults aged 60 and above are living with dementia, which means about 8.8 million people today. By 2036, this number is expected to rise sharply to 1.7 crore (17 million).

At the same time, depression is widespread in India. According to the National Mental Health Survey (2015바카라�16), nearly 15% of Indian adults need mental health support, with depression being one of the most common issues. Depression not only affects mood and daily functioning but, as the study shows, may also raise the risk of dementia later in life.

Dr. Smitha Deshpande, former Head of Dept. of Psychiatry, ABVIMS-DR RML Hospital, New Delhi stressed on the need to act on risks causing dementia. 바카라�We must prepare both our healthcare system and society to face the growing challenge of depression which is one of the main cause of dementia as has been shown in this study.바카라�

In this regard, she also cited a 2020 report by The Lancet Commission also highlighted that up to 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 12 key risk factors. These include: limited education, high blood pressure, hearing loss, smoking, being overweight in midlife, depression, lack of physical activity, diabetes, loneliness, heavy drinking, head injuries, and exposure to air pollution.