OBJECTIVE: Mild Cognitive Impairment is a heterogeneous entity. Incidence and prevalence of MCI are highly dependent on the diagnostic criteria applied. Geriatric depression is more frequently associated with cognitive deficits and somatic complaints than depression in younger age. Consequently, depressive symptoms in the elderly are often misinterpreted and not treated adequately. The aim of this review is to point out possible explanations for the high incidence of depression in patients with MCI and to compare prior studies who worked on this interrelation. METHODS: We review the existing literature on the relationship between MCI and depression. RESULTS: There is no consensus on the question whether depression is the consequence or the cause for cognitive impairment in older people. The comparability of prior studies which dealt with the relationship between depression and MCI is limited due to the use of different diagnostic criteria and depression scales. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that there is an association between MCI and depression which leads to a worse clinical outcome of depression and maybe a faster progression of cognitive decline.
OBJECTIVE: Mild Cognitive Impairment is a heterogeneous entity. Incidence and prevalence of MCI are highly dependent on the diagnostic criteria applied. Geriatric depression is more frequently associated with cognitive deficits and somatic complaints than depression in younger age. Consequently, depressive symptoms in the elderly are often misinterpreted and not treated adequately. The aim of this review is to point out possible explanations for the high incidence of depression in patients with MCI and to compare prior studies who worked on this interrelation. METHODS: We review the existing literature on the relationship between MCI and depression. RESULTS: There is no consensus on the question whether depression is the consequence or the cause for cognitive impairment in older people. The comparability of prior studies which dealt with the relationship between depression and MCI is limited due to the use of different diagnostic criteria and depression scales. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that there is an association between MCI and depression which leads to a worse clinical outcome of depression and maybe a faster progression of cognitive decline.