Key clinical point: Depression, alone or with cardiovascular disease, significantly increased the risk of memory-related disease (MRD) in adults aged 45 and older.

Major finding: The coexistence of depression and cardiovascular disease was significantly associated with MRD among adults after controlling for multiple demographic and lifestyle variables (hazard ratio, 4.68) Depression alone also significantly increased the risk of MRD (hazard ratio, 1.64) – but only among women and adults aged 65 and older.

Study details: The data come from a prospective study of 12,272 adults aged 45 years and older in China, with a median of 4 years of follow-up.

Disclosures: The study was supported by several entities, including China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. The researchers had no financial conflicts.