News in brief - Dec. 12, 2011

Risk of dementia increases for depressed diabetic patients - Meningococcal vaccine booster recommended for teenagers

Risk of dementia increases for depressed diabetic patients

Depressed patients with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing dementia compared with people with diabetes alone, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in Archives of General Psychiatry.

Between May 2005 and December 2006, researchers surveyed 19,239 people, ages 30 to 75, who were part of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry. Overall, 1.2% of participants developed dementia during the follow-up period. Dementia was more common in patients with depression, data show.

Among the 3,766 diabetic participants with depression, 2.1% developed dementia during follow-up. Among the 15,473 people with diabetes alone, 1% had dementia.

The study authors said the findings indicate the importance of physicians screening diabetic patients for early signs of depression to prevent the possible development of dementia in the future (archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/archgenpsychiatry.2011.154).

Meningococcal vaccine booster recommended for teenagers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that adolescents receive a booster dose of meningococcal vaccine after recent data showed immunity from the immunization wanes quicker than previously thought, said a study published online Nov. 28 in Pediatrics.

Physicians should administer the quadrivalent vaccine to patients between the ages of 11 and 12, with a one-time booster dose at age 16, the CDC said (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22123893).

Patients who receive their first dose of the vaccine between age 13 and 15 should get a booster sometime between age 16 and 18. A booster is not needed for teenagers who receive their first dose of the vaccine at age 16 or older.

Immunization with the meningococcal vaccine is not recommended in healthy patients older than 21 because risk of the disease diminishes, the CDC said.

Children at high risk of developing meningococcal disease should receive two doses of the vaccine. These doses should be administered three months apart in children younger than 2 and two months apart in patients 2 through 18.