Screening dementia in the outpatient department: patients at risk for dementia.

Shu-Yu Tai,Shu-Wan Huang,Chiu-Hsien Yang,Chia-Ling Hsu,Mei-Chuan Chou,Yuan-Han Yang

doi:10.1155/2014/138786

Abstract

The targeted screening for individuals at the risks of having dementia would be crucial to the further public health issues for dementia. This study aimed to conduct a screening study in an outpatient department of a regional hospital to screen people who were at risk of developing comorbid dementia. Patients who visited Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital (KMTTH) clinics during the period from June 1, 2013, to May 31, 2014, were invited to participate in this screening voluntarily. The trained interviewer collected all participants' demographic characteristics and used the instrument of ascertainment of dementia 8 (AD8) to find out suspected dementia ones. The result showed a higher ratio (24.1%) of suspected dementia in the outpatient department of a hospital, 500 out of 2017 subjects, than that in the general population. The median (interquartile range) age was significantly higher in the suspected dementia participants (70, (62, 77)) compared to that in nonsuspected dementia ones (65, (60, 73)), and the probability of suspected dementia was significantly increasing with age (P < 0.001). Instead of screening dementia in general population, screening people at the risk of dementia could be the practicable and important issues in the care of dementia.

Highlights

Dementia is a major public health problem related to the aging population in developed countries
With the rapidly increasing aged population, the global prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is expected to dramatically increase by 2050, with Asia estimated to account for 59% of worldwide cases [2]
The increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment in the general population emphasizes the need for early intervention and treatment

Summary

Introduction

Dementia is a major public health problem related to the aging population in developed countries. The aged population has increased rapidly in Taiwan, from 10.74% in 2010 to 11.53% in 2013 and is estimated to reach 20% in 2025 [1]. With the rapidly increasing aged population, the global prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is expected to dramatically increase by 2050, with Asia estimated to account for 59% of worldwide cases [2]. The increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment in the general population emphasizes the need for early intervention and treatment. Conducting broad dementia screening in the general population is unreasonable because the prevalence rate of dementia and related disorders among people is too low to yield satisfactory results. Because the risk of dementia increases substantially with age, approaching 45% among Americans aging 85 and older [3, 4], the targeted screening of at-risk individuals is reasonable

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion