A new study suggests a depression diagnosis could double the risk of dementia later in life.
The research was published July 24 in JAMA Neurology and is based on data from more than 1.4 million adult Danish citizens who were followed from 1977 to 2018. According to the findings, the risk of dementia "more than doubled" for people with diagnosed depression earlier in life. Overall, the risk was greater for men than women.
While previous studies have said depression in older adults could be an early symptom of dementia, the latest study suggests depression at any stage of life increases dementia risk.
Researchers told CNN the association between the two conditions was strong, though further research is needed to determine the mechanisms on how they're linked.