Prevalence of dementia in the older Japanese-Brazilian population

The prevalence of dementing disorders in Campo Grande of a community of Japanese-Brazilians who immigrated from Okinawa was studied. Previous reports showed that the dietary pattern in Japanese immigrants in Brazil, which characterized by a low fish and large meat intake, is possibly responsible for increased risk of cardiovascular diseases compared with Japanese in Okinawa. A total of 157 persons over 70-year-old were examined, and 19 cases were diagnosed as having dementia. The prevalence (cases/100 aged 70-year-older) was 12.1 for all types of dementia, 5.7 for Alzheimer's disease (AD), 0.6 for vascular dementia (VD), 4.5 for mixed dementia (AD/VD) and 1.3 for other types of dementia. There was no case of dementia with Lewy bodies or frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These results are similar to many previous studies in Western countries and some recent surveys in Japan, and clearly show that more AD than VD appears even in the Japanese-Brazilian population. The higher prevalence rate of dementia in Japanese-Brazilians compared with several studies in Japan may indicate the importance of dietary factors rather than genetic factors.     

Further evidence of westernization of dementia prevalence in Nagasaki, Japan, and family recognition

The present study examined the prevalence of dementia in the Nagasaki Prefecture. The purposes of our investigation were (a) to study the relationship between aging and the prevalence of dementia and the ratio of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to vascular dementia (VD), (b) to understand the features of early-onset dementia as seen in patients from 60 to 65 years, and (c) to examine the recognition of dementia by family members. The subjects of the study, a total of 4,368, were all 60 years old and over and were residing in the three areas of Nagasaki Prefecture at the time of the investigation, August 1995. We adopted a two-stage design. The first-stage questionnaire that we developed was delivered to subjects, and we selected for the second stage those subjects who met the criteria outlined in the Methods section. The second-stage investigation was an interview by community nurses and psychiatrists. The prevalence of dementia in subjects 60 years and over was 6.2% (men: 5.9%; women: 6.8%). The prevalence increased with age. The AD/VD ratio was 1.4, and was similar to the recent trend in Japan in that the ratio has reversed to resemble the western pattern. In regard to the family members' recognition of illness, the higher the severity of dementia, the higher the recognition ratio of family members became. Only half of these subjects were recognized as having dementia by their family members. In conclusion, the westernization of the AD/VD ratio in Japan was proved. There was little study about family recognition of dementia. In this study, it was remarkable that only half of the subjects were recognized as having dementia by their family members.     

Prevalence, resource utilization and costs of vascular dementia compared to Alzheimer's dementia in a population setting

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of dementia and to measure the monetary impact and health resources utilization of vascular dementia (VD) compared to Alzheimer's dementia (AD) in persons aged over 64 years in a population setting. METHODS: Retrospective, cross-sectional study. In the initial phase, information was obtained on specific clinical characteristics from the subjects with an active diagnosis of dementia. The second phase consisted of a clinical evaluation and validation of the cases. Mini-Mental State Examination was used to assess cognitive impairment. Dementia and its subtypes were determined using established diagnostic criteria. Information was obtained on the use of health care resources (direct costs) and the number of hours devoted by the primary caregiver (indirect costs) for patients with a documented diagnosis of AD or VD within the last 6 months prior to the interview. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to correct the model. RESULTS: A total of 6,004 subjects were analyzed, 258 with diagnosis of dementia (overall prevalence: 4.3%). An evaluation was made of 224 patients, and gross prevalence of AD and VD was 2.4 and 1.0%, respectively. Cost per patient per semester was EUR 8,086 for AD and EUR 11,039 for VD (p = 0.016). 85.5% of the cost was attributable to primary caregiver time in AD and 84.4% in VD. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AD and VD increases with age. No sociodemographic differences were seen between AD and VD. Costs associated with health care resource and primary caregiver utilization were high, being higher in VD than in AD.     

阿尔茨海默病和血管性痴呆的精神行为症状

目的 探讨阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s disease，AD)和血管性痴呆(vascular dementia，VD)患者的精神行为症状特点及对早期诊断的价值。方法 对80例AD和72例VD的精神行为症状进行分类、比较和分析。结果 VD患者焦虑(P＝0．0024)和抑郁(P＝0．0059)的发生率显著高于AD患者，AD患者则以无目的闲逛(P＝0．0018)明显多见；而情感失控和情绪不稳的发生率在两组痴呆患者中无明显差异。结论 AD和VD患者的精神行为改变各有其不同特点，这对二者的早期诊断和鉴别诊断有一定帮助。     

广州市城乡65岁及其以上人群痴呆患病率调查

目的调查广州市城乡≥65岁人群痴呆的患病率。方法采用分层随机整群抽样方法对广州市城乡人群进行抽样，用筛查和确诊两阶段法进行调查，实查14个居委会、2个村委会中≥65岁人群共3780人。按美国精神障碍诊断与统计手册第4版的标准诊断痴呆，阿尔茨海默病（AD）诊断采用美国神经病学、语言障碍和卒中研究所及阿尔茨海默病与相关障碍协会的标准。结果（1）查出痴呆患者182例，粗患病率为4．81％；其中AD128例（3．39％），血管性痴呆（VD）44例（1．16％）；经2000年广州市人口年龄构成进行标化，痴呆、AD和VD患病率分别为4．54％、3．17％和1．11％。（2）女性痴呆患者134例，粗患病率（5．98％）高于男性（48例，3．12％；P〈0．001），经年龄标化患病率分别为6．03％和2．74％。（3）痴呆患病率随年龄增长急剧上升。结论广州地区年龄≥65岁老人的痴呆患病率为4．81％，AD患病率高于VD。老年期痴呆患病率随年龄的增长而急剧升高。     

Prevalence of dementia disorders in the oldest-old: an autopsy study

The prevalence of Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) increases with advancing age, but less so after age 90 years. A retrospective hospital-based study of the relative prevalence of different disorders was performed in 1,110 consecutive autopsy cases of demented elderly in Vienna, Austria (66% females, MMSE <20; mean age 83.3 ± 5.4 SD years). It assessed clinical, general autopsy data and neuropathology including immunohistochemistry. Neuropathologic diagnosis followed current consensus criteria. Four age groups (7–10th decade) were evaluated. In the total cohort AD pathology was seen in 82.9% (“pure” AD 42.9%; AD + other pathologies 39.9%), VD in 10.8% (mixed dementia, MIX, i.e. AD + vascular encephalopathy in 5.5%); other disorders in 5.7%, and negative pathology in 0.8%. The relative prevalence of AD increased from age 60 to 89 years and decreased slightly after age 90+, while “pure” VD diagnosed in the presence of vascular encephalopathy of different types with low neuritic AD pathology (Braak stages <3; mean 1.2–1.6) decreased progressively from age 60 to 90+; 85–95% of these patients had histories of diabetes, morphologic signs of hypertension, 65% myocardial infarction/cardiac decompensation, and 75% a history of stroke(s). Morphologic subtypes, subcortical arteriosclerotic (the most frequent), multi-infarct encephalopathy, and strategic infarct dementia showed no age-related differences. The relative prevalence of AD + Lewy pathology remained fairly constant with increasing age. Mixed dementia and AD with minor cerebrovascular lesions increased significantly with age, while other dementias decreased. This retrospective study using strict morphologic criteria confirmed increased prevalence of AD with age, but mild decline at age 90+, and progressive decline of VD, while AD + vascular pathologies including MIX showed considerable age-related increase, confirming that mixed pathologies account for most dementia cases in very old persons. A prospective clinicopathologic study in oldest-old subjects showed a significant increase in both AD and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), but decrease in VD over age 85, while in a small group of old subjects CAA without considerable AD pathology may be an independent risk factor for cognitive decline.     

Prevalence of dementia in China

To obtain prevalence estimates of dementia in China, an analysis of 17 studies published in Chinese from 1990-1999 was carried out. The prevalence rates for the population aged 60 years and older were 1.26% for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 0.74% for vascular dementia (VD). The prevalence of AD was 2.10% in women and 0.76% in men, while the prevalence of VD was 0.71 and 0.69%, respectively. The prevalence of AD among the three educational levels in our study (illiterate, primary school and high school) were 1.79, 0.45 and 0.15%, respectively, and those of VD were 0.26, 0.58 and 0.26%, respectively. Although the prevalence of AD (2.29%) was higher in urban than in rural areas (1.67%), the difference was not statistically significant. The difference between the prevalence of VD in urban (0.67%) and in rural areas (1.13%) was not significant either. The prevalence of AD increased with age, and gender was found to be associated with Alzheimer's disease. The prevalence of VD also increased with age, but there was no association between VD and gender.     

Elevated interleukin-6 levels in cerebrospinal fluid of vascular dementia patients

OBJECTIVES: To investigate a possible implication of inflammatory processes in the development of dementia in cerebrovascular disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 26), ischemic cerebrovascular disease without dementia (CVD) (n = 11), vascular dementia (VD) (n = 11), and other neurological disorders (n = 21) using sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The CSF concentrations of IL-6 were significantly elevated in patients with VD compared with those of patients with AD or CVD. CONCLUSION: The CSF IL-6 levels are increased in patients with VD, suggesting that inflammatory mechanisms may be involved in the development of cognitive decline in some patients with cerebrovascular disease. CSF IL-6 may be a biological marker for dementia in cerebrovascular disease.     

阿尔茨海默氏病与血管性痴呆临床特点的对照研究

目的比较阿尔茨海默氏病（AD）与血管性痴呆（VD）的临床特点。方法对39例AD和38例VD患者的精神行为症状特点、伴随的躯体疾病、头颅CT检查以及脑电图检查进行比较。结果AD组与VD组在幻觉、妄想等精神病性症状方面无明显差异,在抑郁、焦虑等情绪障碍以及行为脱抑制方面有显著差异;AD组伴随的躯体疾病无明显特异性,VD组多伴发高血压、冠心病;AD组头颅CT多表现为脑萎缩,VD组多表现为脑梗塞;脑电图检查AD组无明显特异性,VD组界限脑电图居多。结论AD与VD患者的BPSD及所伴随的躯体疾病可有不同特点,CT和脑电图的检查等对痴呆的诊断与鉴别诊断均具有重要价值。     

Seizures in patients with Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia: A population‐based nested case–control analysis

Purpose: Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have an increased risk of developing seizures or epilepsy. Little is known about the role of risk factors and about the risk of developing seizures/epilepsy in patients with vascular dementia (VD). The aim of this study was to assess incidence rates (IRs) of seizures/epilepsy in patients with AD, VD, or without dementia, and to identify potential risk factors of seizures or epilepsy. Methods: We conducted a follow‐up study with a nested case–control analysis using the United Kingdom–based General Practice Research Database (GPRD). We identified patients aged ≥65 years with an incident diagnosis of AD or VD between 1998 and 2008 and a matched comparison group of dementia‐free patients. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of developing seizures/epilepsy in patients with AD or VD, stratified by age at onset and duration of dementia as well as by use of antidementia drugs. Key Findings: Among 7,086 cases with AD, 4,438 with VD, and 11,524 matched dementia‐free patients, we identified 180 cases with an incident diagnosis of seizures/epilepsy. The IRs of epilepsy/seizures for patients with AD or VD were 5.6/1,000 person‐years (py) (95% CI 4.6–6.9) and 7.5/1,000 py (95% CI 5.7–9.7), respectively, and 0.8/1,000 py (95% CI 0.6–1.1) in the dementia‐free group. In the nested case–control analysis, patients with longer standing (≥3 years) AD had a slightly higher risk of developing seizures or epilepsy than those with a shorter disease duration, whereas in patients with VD the contrary was observed. Significance: Seizures or epilepsy were substantially more common in patients with AD and VD than in dementia‐free patients. The role of disease duration as a risk factor for seizures/epilepsy seems to differ between AD and VD.     

Presenilin-1 polymorphism in patients with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and alcohol-associated dementia in Japanese population

We investigated the genetic association between intronic polymorphism in Presenilin-1 (PS-1) gene and patients with various types of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD) and alcohol associated dementia (ALD), in Japanese population. Homozygosity for allele 1 of the PS-1 polymorphism was significantly increased in late-onset sporadic AD, but not in early-onset sporadic AD, familial AD, VD and ALD. When late-onset sporadic AD patients were divided on the basis of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, homozygosity for the allele 1 of the PS-1 polymorphism was significantly increased in patients with late-onset sporadic AD without APOE εe 4 allele, but not in those with APOE εe 4 allele. Intronic mutation in PS-1 gene may be specific and one of the genetic risk factor for late-onset sporadic AD.     

Trends in prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in a Japanese community: the Hisayama Study

Sekita A, Ninomiya T, Tanizaki Y, Doi Y, Hata J, Yonemoto K, Arima H, Sasaki K, Iida M, Iwaki T, Kanba S, Kiyohara Y. Trends in prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in a Japanese community: the Hisayama Study. Objective: To examine secular trends in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) in a general Japanese population. Method: Four cross‐sectional examinations were conducted among residents of a Japanese community aged ≥65 in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2005. Results: The age‐ and sex‐adjusted prevalence of all‐cause dementia significantly increased with time (6.0% in 1985, 4.4% in 1992, 5.3% in 1998 and 8.3% in 2005; P for trend = 0.002). A similar trend was observed for AD (1.1%, 1.3%, 2.3% and 3.8% respectively; P for trend < 0.001), while the age‐ and sex‐adjusted prevalence of VD and other/unclassified dementia showed J‐shaped patterns (for VD: 2.3%, 1.5%, 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, P for trend = 0.82; for other/unclassified dementia: 2.6%, 1.7%, 1.5% and 2.0%, P for trend = 0.26). The prevalence of AD was likely to increase with time from 1985 to 2005 among subjects aged 75 or older. The ratio of the prevalence of VD to that of AD decreased with time (2.1 in 1985, 1.2 in 1992, 0.7 in 1998 and 0.7 in 2005). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the prevalence of all‐cause dementia and AD significantly increased over the past two decades in the general Japanese population.     

Alzheimer病与血管性痴呆患者认知功能对照研究

目的探讨Alzheimer病与血管性痴呆患者认知功能状况及其之间差异。方法对36例临床诊断的Alzheimer病、35例血管性痴呆患者及35例健康人进行了事件相关电位(ERP)和简易智力状态检查(MMSE)测试。结果Alzheimer病组、血管性痴呆组ERP测定的异常率为94.4%(34/36)和85.7%(30/35),两组ERP中N2、P3波潜伏期较正常对照组延长,P3波幅降低,其差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01);而Alzheimer病组ERP测定N2、P3波潜伏期较血管性痴呆组延长,P3波幅降低,其差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。Alzheimer病组、血管性痴呆组MMSE量表总分值与分量表得分值较正常组降低,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01,P<0.05);Alzheimer病组与血管性痴呆组比较,在MMSE量表总分、时间定向及物体命名等分值明显降低,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论Alzheimer病与血管性痴呆患者均存在明显的认知功能减退,且Alzheimer病认知损害更为明显。     

Qualitative analyses of clock drawings in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

Although quantitative analyses of clock drawings (CD) have achieved widespread clinical use as a cognitive screening, little is known about the qualitative profiles of CD in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). To address this issue, the present study examined the significance of qualitative analyses of CD in AD and VD. Sixty-seven AD patients, 44 VD patients and eight controls underwent a clock drawing test and took the Mini-Mental State Examinations (MMSE). In the dementia groups, quantitative scores significantly decreased compared with controls and were significantly correlated with MMSE scores. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that in AD patients qualitative error patterns were stable and independent of severity. In contrast, in VD patients the frequency of graphic difficulties and conceptual deficit increased, while the frequency of spatial and/or planning deficit decreased, as severity worsened. In mild dementia groups the frequency of spatial and/or planning deficit was significantly higher in VD. In moderate dementia groups, the frequency of graphic difficulties was significantly higher in VD and the difference in the frequency of spatial and/or planning deficit seen in mild dementia disappeared. The present study suggests that qualitative analyses of clock drawings could demonstrate the neuropsychological profiles of AD and VD and their differences between these dementias.     

Education,occupation, and prevalence of dementia: findings from the Conselice study

Information about the epidemiology of dementia in Italy is still limited, although this cognitive disorder represents a serious public health concern. We estimated the prevalence of dementia and dementia subtypes in the elderly population of a Northern Italian municipality, Conselice, in the Emilia Romagna region (n = 1,016 subjects aged 65-97 years). The associations of dementia with two modifiable risk factors, education and occupation, were also evaluated. Overall dementia prevalence was 5.9% (95% confidence interval 4.3-7.8), exponentially increased with age, and was higher among women. Of the dementia cases, 50% were Alzheimer's disease (AD), but an unusually high prevalence (45%) was found for vascular dementia (VD). After adjustment for age and gender, education but not occupation was associated with both AD and VD. This association could not be explained by occupation, life habits, and previous history of hypertension or cardiovascular disease.     

Metabolic alterations in the hypothalamus and basal forebrain in vascular dementia

Previously, alterations in neuronal metabolism were found in a number of brain areas of Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. In the present study we aimed at determining for the first time whether metabolic changes would also occur in vascular dementia (VD) patients in the supraoptic (SON), infundibular (INF), tuberomamillary (TMN), medial mamillary nuclei, vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca (VDB), and nucleus basalis of Meynert. The Golgi complex (GC) size, cell size, and vasopressin mRNA levels (in the SON) were used as measures of neuronal metabolic activity in postmortem material. The GC immunoreactivity was clearly diminished in the SON, INF and TMN and was increased in the VDB of VD cases. Interestingly, in the SON and TMN, a decrease in the GC size was more pronounced in male than in female VD patients in accordance with the higher prevalence of VD in men. In 7 of 11 VD cases, vasopressin mRNA levels were significantly reduced which may contribute to urinary incontinence, one of the most common clinical symptoms in VD, and to the lower blood pressure values that are often registered at the later stages of the VD. Since the human TMN is the sole source of cerebral histamine, our data suggest deficient histaminergic transmission in the brain in VD. Diminished neuronal metabolism in the SON and INF was not observed in AD in this and previous studies, whereas the changes in the VDB and TMN are similar in VD and AD. In the present study we thus found decreased metabolic activity in several hypothalamic nuclei in VD indicating diminished production of certain hormones and neurotransmitters.     

听觉P300对血管性痴呆早期诊断及鉴别诊断的价值

目的探讨P300对血管性痴呆(VD)的早期诊断及与Alzheimer病(AD)鉴别的价值.方法分别对20名正常人(NC)、20例VD患者、24例无痴呆脑梗死患者(CI)及20例AD患者进行神经心理学量表长谷川智力量表(HDS)评分,并选用听觉oddball序列分别对上述各组进行P300测试.结果 (1)VD组与CI组及NC组比较,N2、P3潜伏期(PL)明显延长(均P<0.05);P3PL与HDS评分呈负相关(r=-0.686,P＜0.01),且较HDS更为敏感;梗死部位与P300变化有一定关系,梗死位于颞叶、额叶的患者与其他梗死部位的患者相比,P3PL异常率明显增高(P＜0.05).(2)AD组与VD组相比,N1 PL更长,差异有显著性(P<0.05).结论 (1)P300对VD的早期诊断具有重要意义.(2)N1PL在VD与AD的鉴别诊断中有一定的意义.     

Vascular risk factors in demented elderly: analysis of Alzheimer Clinic materials]

In recent years evidence is increasing that vascular disease is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Moreover, presence of cerebrovascular disease may intensify the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of vascular risk factors in age and sex matched patients with dementia. We studied 109 patients with AD and 37 patients vascular dementia (VD). DSM-III-R test for dementia, NINCDS-ADRDA guidelines for AD and NINDS-ARIEN for VD were applied. RESULTS: Mean age of dementia onset in AD and VD was 65.8 SD 7.8 and 67.4 SD 7.0 years (p > 0.05), the duration of dementia, MMS and GDS for patients with AD and VD was not significantly different. Arterial hypertension was associated in 51.3% VD and 30.3% AD (p < 0.05), hypotension in 11.1 and 23.6% respectively (p > 0.05), atrial fibrillation was similar in AD and VD, coronary artery disease was presents 64.8% AD and 46.8 VD (p > 0.05) and type 2 diabetes in 21.6% and 10.1% (p > 0.05) respectively. No significant differences in serum lipid profile were found in both groups, except two times higher incidence of normal HDL-cholesterol concentration in AD compare to VD. The relation between alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and head trauma was similar in both types of dementia. CONCLUSION: Vascular disease and AD have to some extent a shared aetiology, and risk factors that they have in common increase the risk of both disorders independently and vascular disease is perhaps involved in the aetiology of AD.     

阿尔茨海默病和血管性痴呆的颅脑核磁共振定量研究

目的测量阿尔茨海默病（AD）、血管性痴呆（VD）患者颅脑MRI片上的海马结构（HF）、胼胝体（CC）、侧脑室（LV）、外侧裂（SL）、白质疏松（LA）体积，建立判别函数，进行判别分析，提高区分AD组、VD组与老年健康对照组（NC）间的准确性。方法应用GE Signa 1．5T超导磁共振成像系统，对AD组、VD组、NC组各20例进行颅脑扫描，根据体视学的卡瓦列里原理，构建测试网格，对HF、CC、LV、SL、LA体积进行测量，建立判别函数，进行判别分析。结果AD组、VD组HF、CC体积均显著小于NC组，LV、SL、LA体积显著大于NC组；AD组的HF、LA体积均显著小于VD组。Fisher判别函数示判别总符合率为83.3％，AD组为95％，VD组为75％，NC组为80％。结论测量颅脑MRI的HF、CC、LV、SL、LA体积，建立判别函数，对AD、VD患者的临床诊断及鉴别诊断可能有一定的指导意义。     

Prevalence of dementia in rural China: impact of age, gender and education

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in rural China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted within a cohort of adults older than 50 years of age in Linxian County, China. A Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) was used to screen cases of possible dementia. Three different cutoff points on CMMSE were applied depending on the participant's level of education. The participants then were given psychiatric interviews, medical and neurological examinations, and psychometric tests to ascertain the clinical diagnoses of dementia and AD. RESULTS: Among the 16,095 participants, 5.26% were screened positive with 374 diagnosed as having dementia. Among them, AD accounted for 80.5%. The adjusted prevalence rates were 0.33%, 0.89%, 3.43%, and 8.19% in people in age groups 50-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75 and above, respectively. The prevalence of AD correlated with the participant's level of education, and was 2.61%, 0.94%, and 0.56% in the illiterate group, in the primary school group, and in the middle school or higher group, respectively. Adjusted by education levels a higher prevalence in women was observed in the illiterate group. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dementia in this population is similar to that reported from other areas in mainland China and Taiwan with aging being a significant risk factor. After controlling for age, being a female and having received less number of years of education were associated with an higher prevalence of AD.