SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: We studied the users of the Specialized Drug Distribution Program of the public health network. METHODS: A prospective cohort examined the elderly at two intervals of three years and included 30 patients in phase I and 16 in phase II. The methodology was composed of home visits, anthropometric, nutritional and hematological evaluation. For the progression of AD, the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale was used. RESULTS: According to the CDR, the disease evolved, since in 2014 most of the patients were in CDR 3. In the analysis of the micronutrients, only the B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) presented a significant reduction in 2014. The consumption of carbohydrates and lipids increased in the 2014 evaluation, and protein consumption decreased. As for the average weight of the elderly, there was an increase in 2014, 65.9 (± 15.6) Kg, with a BMI of 26.75 (± 4, 5), in 2011 the average weight was 62.44 kg (± 14, 36), BMI 24.64 (± 4.97). CONCLUSION: The hypothesis that patients are likely to be overweight or obese before the development of AD and that this may be associated with an increased risk of dementia is suggested.

Dementia is a common health problem in elderly people, Introduction Alzheimer disease (AD) being the most prevalent. AD can be considered as a cause of death and must be registered on the death certificate of the patients. However, most of the time, the main cause of death registered is not related to AD, but as an underlying or contributing cause. For example, individuals who have AD and die from myocardium infarction. This study aimed to analyze if nutritional status was associated with survival and mortality for AD, and if AD was reported as actual cause of death on the death certificate : The study was carried out as a cross-sectional study with elderly Methods citizens of the community registered in the National Health System (SUS), with cognitive, nutritional, biochemical and hematological evaluations of 30 AD patients in Guarapuava, Paraná state, Brazil. : Significant differences were not observed between live and dead Results patients when evaluated considering the methods applied. Only 22% of the death certificates stated death due to AD. The patient's cause of death showed a strong relation to respiratory issues; potential explanations based on immunological, biochemical and comorbidity were not confirmed on this study.: AD was not declared as the cause of death in the majority of Conclusions certificates, contributing to the underreporting and reducing the information of death due to AD in the country.

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