An epidemiological study of Alzheimer’s disease in elderly Mongolian and Han populations living in rural areas of Inner Mongolia

Abstract

This study investigated the current status and distribution of Alzheimer's disease (AD) among Mongolian and Han individuals who were at least 55 years old and living in rural areas of Inner Mongolia. This study sought to provide basic epidemiological data to better understand and treat Alzheimer's disease. Individuals with AD who were at least 55 old and living in one of 27 communities and two settlements in Mongolia, took part in an AD epidemiological survey from June 2008 to June 2009. Stratified, multistage random-cluster sampling was used to analyze data. The first level of random-cluster sampling consisted of data collected from questionnaires and home-visit interviews of individuals living in four Qi (a county level administration region in Mongolia) and in one city in the Xilin Guole League. Data from individuals in four district offices and ten towns from the first level random-cluster formed the second level of random-cluster sampling. The final sample for this epidemiological investigation consisted of 9266 individuals. Analyses revealed that the prevalence rate of AD was 4.79% (SD=4.71%) in the combined Mongolian and Han populations of individuals at least 55 years old and living in rural areas of Inner Mongolia. The individual AD prevalence rates in the Mongolian and Han populations were 4.63% (SD=4.84%) and 4.89% (SD=4.60%), respectively. The AD prevalence rate for women was higher than for men (p<0.05). The AD prevalence rate for individuals aged 65 and older in the two combined populations was 8.06% (SD=8.55%); the rate in the Mongolian population was 7.81% (SD=8.38%) and 8.18% (SD=8.57%) in the Han population. Gender and age were risk factors for the development of AD (p<0.05) in both populations. 1) There was no significant difference in the AD prevalence rate between the Mongolian and Han populations consisting of individuals aged 55 and older, living in rural areas of Inner Mongolia. However, the AD prevalence rates in these populations were higher than the national average. 2) Gender and age were risk factors for the development of AD in the Mongolian and Han populations.