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There is an established association between depression and subsequent dementia. The present study examined temporal associations between incident latelife depression and subsequent dementia, also considering age and sex.

We used longitudinal health claims data from the largest German health insurance provider (‘Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse’) considering up to 9 followup years in piecewise exponential models. ICD10 codes were used to define incident depression and dementia in individuals ≥65 years (n = 97 110).

Incident depression was associated with a higher risk of subsequent dementia (incidence rate ratios (IRR) adjusted for age and sex: IRR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.51–1.64). The strongest association was found for the shortest interval of 1 quarter (IRR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.88–2.21), with significant associations up to an interval of roughly 3 years. The association …