De invloed van wittestofafwijkingen op ouderdomsdepressies

BACKGROUND: White matter lesions are recognisable as hyperintense lesions on Magnetic Resonance Imaging. These white matter lesions occur regularly in depressed elderly, especially in those with a late-onset depression. However, the relevance of white matter lesions for late-life depression remains obscure. They also occur in the non-depressive elderly. AIMS: This review article describes the relevance of white matter lesions of the brain for the aetiology, the symptomatology and the course of depression in the elderly. METHODS: Articles considering the relation between white matter lesions and late-life depressions were selected by means of a search in Medline. RESULTS: White matter lesions can influence the symptoms of late-life depressions. Especially subcortical white matter lesions seriously affect the outcome of late-life depressions. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of white matter lesions has major consequences for the treatment of late-life depressions.