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61/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 61 out of 100. Risk factors

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Plain-language summary

Objective This review updates an earlier meta-analysis of the data on history of depression as a risk factor for dementia. It also considers the available evidence on the hypotheses proposed to explain the association between history of depression and dementia. Method A meta-analysis was carried out on results from seven case-control and six prospective studies. A qualitative review was carried out on the evidence related to the hypotheses to explain the association. Results The meta-analysis found evidence to support an association from both case-control studies (estimated relative risk 2.01; 95% CI 1.16-3.50) and prospective studies (estimated relative risk 1.87; 95% CI 1.09-3.20). However, the evidence did not clearly support any one hypothesis explaining the association. The most likely contenders are: (i) depression can be an early prodrome of dementia, (ii) depression brings forward the clinical manifestation of dementing diseases, and (iii) depression leads to damage to the hippocampus through a glucocorticoid cascade. Conclusions The possibility that history of depression is a risk factor for dementia needs to be taken seriously and explanations of the association need to be further researched.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: High

This is a pooled review. Pooling seven case-control and six prospective studies, this 2001 review found that a history of depression was associated with about twice the risk of later dementia (relative risk 2.01, 95% CI 1.16–3.50, and 1.87, 95% CI 1.09–3.20), though the intervals are wide. A separate qualitative review found no explanation clearly supported; the leading candidates were that depression is an early sign of dementia, that it brings dementia on earlier, or that it damages the hippocampus through a stress-hormone (glucocorticoid) cascade.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Jorm, A. F. (2001). History of depression as a risk factor for dementia: an updated review. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00967.x

Vancouver

Jorm AF. History of depression as a risk factor for dementia: an updated review. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry. 2001. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00967.x. PMID: 11990888.

BibTeX

@article{jorm2001-11990888,
  author  = {Jorm, A. F.},
  title   = {{History of depression as a risk factor for dementia: an updated review}},
  journal = {The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry},
  year    = {2001},
  doi     = {10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00967.x},
  pmid    = {11990888},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00967.x}
}

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

How to read this study

Design: this is a pooled review. It combines earlier studies, so it is only as good as the studies it pools. Check how many were included, whether they were similar enough to combine, and whether the authors report inconsistency between them.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded high. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. High means the abstract mentions a randomized design, a meta-analysis or a systematic review. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Method A meta-analysis was carried out on results from seven case-control and six prospective studies.
Results The meta-analysis found evidence to support an association from both case-control studies (estimated relative risk 2.01; 95% CI 1.16-3.50) and prospective studies (estimated relative risk 1.87; 95% CI 1.09-3.20).

Why it matters

Pooling seven case-control and six prospective studies, this 2001 review found that a history of depression was associated with about twice the risk of later dementia (relative risk 2.01, 95% CI 1.16–3.50, and 1.87, 95% CI 1.09–3.20), though the intervals are wide. A separate qualitative review found no explanation clearly supported; the leading candidates were that depression is an early sign of dementia, that it brings dementia on earlier, or that it damages the hippocampus through a stress-hormone (glucocorticoid) cascade. The author concludes only that the possibility "needs to be taken seriously" and that the reasons need more research, so this does not show that depression causes dementia or that treating it prevents dementia.

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Study details

Study designmeta-analysis
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 61/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry: journal h-index 180 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	12 / 12	A meta-analysis pooling many studies
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2001 — older than 20 years, still counted
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
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	A review of other studies — randomization is not credited here
Times cited	6 / 7	Cited 529 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	19.6 citations a year over 27 year(s) since 2001
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 2.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	4 / 6	Cited by 38 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 30 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Anthony Francis Jorm: h-index 137 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Australian National University: institution h-index 1,088 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 11990888)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	61 / 100	—

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