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Global, Regional and Country-Specific Burden of Dementia Associated with Depression Across the Life-course
Maha Alshahrani, M Siervo, Claire V. Burley, Elissa Burton, Gavin Pereira, Zhongcheng Guan, B Myers, Phillip John Tully et al.. Figshare, 2026-05-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Introduction Mid- and late-life depression are associated with increased dementia risk. This study quantified the global burden of dementia attributable to major depressive disorder (MDD) and identified geographic and demographic variations across the life-course. Methods We used Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data across 204 countries to estimate MDD prevalence and evaluate its association with dementia risk. We examined whether associations varied by early adulthood (20-39 years), mid-life (40-54 years), late mid-life (55-69 years), and late-life (70+ years) age groups, sex, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) classifications. Population-attributable fractions (PAFs) and potential impact fractions (PIFs) were calculated using relative risk (RR) estimates from the 2020 (RR=1.90) and 2024 (RR=2.25) Lancet Commission on Dementia. Results MDD prevalence was consistently higher among women than men across all regions and age groups, ranging from 4.42%-5.11% in women versus 2.87%-3.41% in men. Using the 2024 Lancet Commission RR, the mean global PAF for dementia associated with MDD was 4.81% (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 2.75%-7.48%), with substantial geographic variations. The highest PAFs were observed in sub-Saharan Africa, exceeding 10% in several countries. Low-SDI regions had higher PAFs (6.74%, 95% UI: 3.89%–10.40%) than high-SDI regions (4.49%, 95% UI: 2.56%–6.98%). PIF estimates varied across SDI regions, indicating that higher burden does not translate to greater reduction potential under the specified counterfactual. Discussion Results demonstrate substantial global inequities in depression-associated dementia risk, with highest burden concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the critical need for strengthened mental health systems in resource-limited settings.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Alshahrani, M., Siervo, M., Burley, C. V., Burton, E., Pereira, G., Guan, Z., et al. (2026). Global, Regional and Country-Specific Burden of Dementia Associated with Depression Across the Life-course. Figshare. https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.32754240
Vancouver
Alshahrani M, Siervo M, Burley CV, Burton E, Pereira G, Guan Z, et al. Global, Regional and Country-Specific Burden of Dementia Associated with Depression Across the Life-course. Figshare. 2026. doi:10.26187/deakin.32754240.
BibTeX
@article{alshahrani2026-55bd3cff,
author = {Alshahrani, Maha and Siervo, M and Burley, Claire V. and Burton, Elissa and Pereira, Gavin and Guan, Zhongcheng and Myers, B and Tully, Phillip John and others},
title = {{Global, Regional and Country-Specific Burden of Dementia Associated with Depression Across the Life-course}},
journal = {Figshare},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.26187/deakin.32754240},
url = {https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.32754240}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Introduction Mid- and late-life depression are associated with increased dementia risk.
- Results MDD prevalence was consistently higher among women than men across all regions and age groups, ranging from 4.42%-5.11% in women versus 2.87%-3.41% in men.
- Using the 2024 Lancet Commission RR, the mean global PAF for dementia associated with MDD was 4.81% (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 2.75%-7.48%), with substantial geographic variations.
- Discussion Results demonstrate substantial global inequities in depression-associated dementia risk, with highest burden concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the critical need for strengthened mental health systems in resource-limited settings.
Why it matters
This study estimated that major depressive disorder accounts for a mean global population-attributable fraction of 4.81% for dementia, with the highest fractions in sub-Saharan Africa and low-SDI regions. It identifies geographic and demographic variation in depression-associated dementia risk but does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Effect sizeRR=1.90; RR=2.25; 4.42%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 33/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, senior author's track record and institution's track record, so those were left out: it earned 29 of the 89 points we could judge it on, which is 33 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Figshare) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author J Dunne holds only 3 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 0 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 29 / 89 | Scored on 17 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 29 of the 89 points we could judge it on is 33 out of 100. |
| Total | 33 / 100 | — |
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