Dementia risk in patients with heart disease and depression

The high prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia is a growing concern for healthcare systems and patients.

The primary objective of our study was to assess the association of depression and heart disease on the risk of dementias like Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia in patients.

This retrospective study used electronic health records data that was provided by the HealthVerity™ Marketplace. The characteristics of the patient population were recorded and the risk of dementia was examined using adjusted logistic regression models.

The analysis included 49,735 participants and revealed that patients who have heart disease or depression had a higher risk of dementia. Patients who had both heart disease and depression were over three times more likely to have dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and over five times more likely to have vascular dementia compared to patients who only have a diagnosis of heart disease. Depression was associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of dementia. Participants with a diagnosis of most types of heart disease as well as depression had increased risk for developing dementia.

This study revealed that patients with both heart disease and depression had increased odds of having dementia as well as vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. These findings may serve to support policies and healthcare decision-making to increase preventive measures for dementia and Alzheimer's disease among patients with both depression and heart disease.