The effect of depression on cognitive decline among Korean retirees

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the characteristics of cognitive ability among retirees. This study aimed to identify factors associated with cognitive impairment among Korean retirees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing survey. A total of 1755 retirees aged 45 years or older who had normal cognition were followed up for 12 years to identify cognitive impairment. Stepwise multivariate logistic models were used to assess odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cognitive decline. RESULTS: Well-known risk factors, such as age (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06–1.09), female sex (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.08–2.04), low education (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.91–3.14), and depressive mood (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.16–1.97), remained significantly associated with cognitive decline. Sex-stratified analysis revealed that depressive mood was significantly associated with cognitive decline in male retirees only (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.31–2.75). CONCLUSION: Our finding indicates that screening male retirees for depressive mood is required to retard cognitive aging.