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Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Silke Kern, University of Gothenburg
- Second opponent: Assistant Professor Martin Bystad, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Espen A. Bjertness, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Bjørn Hofmann, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor II Geir Selbæk, University of Oslo
Summary
Dementia is an increasing public health challenge due to the growing number and proportion of older people. Depression, anxiety and loneliness are modifiable factors that are regarded as possible risk factors for dementia. However, it remains unclear whether depression acts as a prodrome or a risk factor, and the associations between anxiety and loneliness with dementia are not well established. This thesis aimed to examine the association between dementia and the risk factors depression, anxiety and loneliness measured up to three decades ahead of dementia diagnosis. Another aim was to investigate the overall time trends in the prevalence of loneliness among home-dwelling adults aged 70 years and older.
Data for these investigations were obtained from the four waves of the population-based cohort study, the Trøndelag Health study (HUNT). Dementia diagnosis was based on a comprehensive assessment of cognitive function at HUNT4 (2017-19). Anxiety, depression and loneliness were self-reported repeatedly during the four waves, from HUNT1(1984-86) to HUNT4, along with the necessary information for adjustment of the analyses.
Those with dementia had a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression and their combination at HUNT1-4. Those with persistent or increasing loneliness had a higher risk of dementia. Women, the oldest and those living alone had a higher prevalence of loneliness. The overall prevalence of loneliness has decreased during the period from 1984 to 2019; however, a small increase was observed for the oldest old at the last wave.
The overall conclusion of this thesis is that anxiety, depressive symptoms, and loneliness increase the risk of dementia. Depression might be a prodrome of dementia. Loneliness has decreased, but the declining trend is levelling out. Even though the risk of dementia was only slightly increased with the presence of these risk factors, their relation to old age and the predicted population changes means that reducing these risk factors at the group level is important.
Additional information
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