["To compare the prevalence and characteristics of depression in vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) after adjusting for dementia severity and gender.", 'One hundred and eight pairs of VaD and AD patients matched for dementia severity and gender were assessed.', "Major depressive disorder (MDD) was more prevalent in the VaD group than in the AD group (20.4% in VaD, 10.2% in AD, p = 0.04, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel, CMH, test) regardless of the dementia severity and gender. The odds ratio for developing MDD in the VaD group versus the AD group was estimated to be 2.20 (95% confidence interval = 1.02-4.74). Neurovegetative symptoms such as 'felt tired and weak all the time' (30.6% in VaD, 13.9% in AD, p = 0.003, CMH test) and 'changed weight without trying' (16.7% in VaD, 6.5% in AD, p = 0.02, CMH test) were more prevalent in the VaD group than in the AD group."] Is depression in vascular dementia quantitatively and qualitatively different from depression in Alzheimer 's disease?