Journal article
Psychiatric Disorders and Cognitive Dysfunction Among Older, Postmenopausal Women: Results From the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, Vol.18(2), pp.177-186
02/2010
DOI: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181c65864
PMCID: PMC2939041
PMID: 20104074
Abstract
To estimate the frequency of depressive symptoms and selected psychiatric disorders in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) cohort and related them to cognitive syndromes.
WHIMS was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled prevention clinical trial examining whether opposed and unopposed hormone therapy reduced the risk of dementia in healthy postmenopausal women. Participants scoring below a designated cutpoint on a cognitive screener received a comprehensive neuropsychiatric workup and adjudicated outcome of no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, or probable dementia.
Seven thousand four hundred seventy-nine WHIMS participants between age 65 and 79 years and free of dementia at the time of enrollment in WHIMS. Five hundred twenty-one unique participants contributed complete data required for these analyses.
Depressive symptoms were measured with the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale and the presence of selected psychiatric disorders (major depression, generalized anxiety, and panic and alcohol abuse) was made using the PRIME-MD.
The 18% of women had at least one psychiatric disorder with depression being the most common (16%) followed by general anxiety or panic (6%) and alcohol abuse (1%). Depression and the presence of a psychiatric disorder were associated with impaired cognitive status. Participants having a psychiatric disorder were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with cognitive impairment as those with no psychiatric disorder (odds ratio = 2.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.17–3.60). Older age, white race, and diabetes were also associated with cognitive impairment.
The frequency of a psychiatric disorder is associated with poorer cognitive functioning among older women enrolled in WHIMS. That approximately one in five women had a probable psychiatric disorder, most typically depression, highlights the need for greater detection and treatment efforts in this population.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Psychiatric Disorders and Cognitive Dysfunction Among Older, Postmenopausal Women: Results From the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study
- Creators
- Christopher C. Colenda - Texas A&M Health Science CenterClaudine Legault - Departments of Biostatistics, Winston-Salem, NCStephen R. Rapp - Wake Forest UniversityMargaret W. DeBon - University of Tennessee Health Science CenterPatricia Hogan - Departments of Biostatistics, Winston-Salem, NCRobert Wallace - University of IowaLinda Hershey - University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkJudith Ockene - University of Massachusetts AmherstRachael Whitmer - Kaiser PermanenteLawrence S. Phillips - Emory UniversityGloria E. Sarto - University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, Vol.18(2), pp.177-186
- DOI
- 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181c65864
- PMID
- 20104074
- PMCID
- PMC2939041
- NLM abbreviation
- Am J Geriatr Psychiatry
- ISSN
- 1064-7481
- eISSN
- 1545-7214
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2010
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology; Injury Prevention Research Center; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984363599302771
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