The increase in the proportion of popular and professional publications concerning Alzheimer's disease and related disorders

Abstract

The observed death rates for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders have increased in recent years. Increased awareness of these conditions may have contributed to this increase in death rates, but no direct measures of awareness over time are available. Thus, we analyzed trends in publication rates as a possible indicator of awareness. The proportion of popular and professional literature devoted to Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRDs) in five computerized indexes was calculated for each year from 1966 through 1989. Compared to baselines in the 1960s and 1970s, the proportions of popular and professional publications indexed concerning AD and ADRDs increased markedly through the 1980s. The increase in proportions in the database MEDLINE cannot be completely explained by the addition of journals covering ADRDs to the database. The proportions of articles concerning AD increased at a greater rate in neurology and psychiatry journals than in other categories of biomedical journals. The increasing proportions of publications on ADRDs may reflect an increased awareness of these disorders among the public and among health care providers.