Depression is more strongly associated with cognition in elderly women than men with type 2 diabetes

Laili Soleimani, Ramit Ravona-Springer, Anthony Heymann, Elizabeth Guerrero-Berroa, James Schmeidler, Ruth Zukran, Rachel Preiss, Jeremy M. Silverman, Mary Sano, Michal Schnaider Beeri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Depression and cognitive impairment are highly prevalent in type 2 diabetes (T2D), yet little is known about how their relationship varies by sex. We examined this question in a large T2D sample (N = 897) of non-demented elderly (≥ 65) participating in the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline (IDCD) Study. Cognition was evaluated by a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and depressive symptoms were assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The results showed that in all but the executive function domain, the association of depressive symptoms with poorer cognitive function was stronger in women than men, with a significant interaction for language/semantic categorization and missed significance for episodic memory. When defining clinical depression as GDS of ≥6, women with depression had significantly poorer language/semantic categorization, episodic memory, and overall cognitive function. Inclusion of antidepressants in the model did not alter substantively the associations. Our results suggest that depressed T2D women may have poorer cognitive performance, highlighting the significance of sex-specific personalized management of depression in elderly diabetics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)591-595
Number of pages5
JournalInternational Psychogeriatrics
Volume31
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2019

Keywords

  • cognitive impairment
  • depression
  • diabetes
  • sex differences

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