Researchers say compelling research linking Alzheimer's disease with delusions and depression points to a need for management of those conditions in Alzheimer's patients.

In a trial of 303 probable Alzheimer's patients at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the investigators compared 75 patients with delusions to a control group of 228 delusion-free and hallucination-free patients.

Results of the trial, appearing in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, showed that patients with depression were at an almost 2-fold higher risk of delusions.

After adjusting for other variables, the risk increased to 6.8-fold.

"Delusions in Alzheimer's disease are strongly associated with depression after statistical adjustment for all confounding variables, which might distort this association," the researchers concluded.

"This finding has implications for our understanding of the etio-pathogenesis and management of delusions and depression in Alzheimer's disease."

Other Sources: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry