Severe apathy — a lack of interest and loss of desire to participate in daily activities — is tied to greater odds of developing dementia, a nine-year study has found.
At year six, investigators evaluated over 2,000 participants in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study for self-reported symptoms of apathy, distinguished from depression and anxiety. Volunteers were then grouped according to level of apathy.
Over the nine-year study period, dementia developed in 381 participants. Findings, which appeared in Neurology, were adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk, genetic risk and depressed mood.
From the November 2020 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
