Date of Award

7-29-2022

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (MMSc)

First Advisor

Richard Marottoli, MD, MPH

Abstract

Dementia is an irreversible decline in cognition, which is most commonly seen in the elderly, but a minority of patients are diagnosed before the age of 65, in a subtype known as early-onset dementia. There is a strong association between dementia and major depression in the elderly, but the prevalence of depression in patients with early-onset dementia lacks consensus among existing studies, and there is a paucity of data in newly diagnosed individuals. We propose a cross-sectional study to measure the prevalence ratio of major depression in patients with early-onset dementia compared to those over the age of 65. Specifically, we aim to administer the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia to dichotomize the presence of a major depressive episode in newly diagnosed individuals with early-onset dementia when compared to those over 65 years-old. This study may improve our understanding of disease burden in patients with dementia of various ages.

Open Access

This Article is Open Access

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