Prevalence of Dementia and Subtypes in Valladolid, Northwestern Spain: The DEMINVALL Study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence of dementia and subtypes in a general elderly population in northwestern Spain and to analyze the influence of socio-demographic factors.MethodsCross-sectional, two-phase, door-to-door, population-based study. A total of 870 individuals from a rural region and 2,119 individuals from an urban region of Valladolid, Spain, were involved. The seven-minute screen neurocognitive battery was used in the screening phase. A control group was included.ResultsA total of 2,170 individuals aged 65 to 104 years (57% women) were assessed. There were 184 subjects diagnosed with dementia. The crude prevalence was 8.5% (95% CI: 7.3-9.7). Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence was 5.5 (95% CI: 4.5-6.5). Main subtypes of dementia were: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) 77.7%, Lewy Body disease, 7.6% and vascular dementia (VD) 5.9%. Crude prevalences were 6.6% (AD), 0.6% (Lewy Body disease), and 0.5% (VD). Dementia was associated with age (OR 1.14 for 1-year increase in age), female sex (OR 1.79) and the absence of formal education (OR 2.53 compared to subjects with primary education or more).ConclusionThe prevalence of dementia in the study population was lower than the most recent estimates for Western Europe. There was a high proportion of AD among all dementia cases and very low prevalence of VD. Old age, female sex, and low education level were independent risk factors for dementia and AD.

Diagnosis of Dementia in the Specialist Setting: A Comparison Between the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) and the Registry of Dementias of Girona (ReDeGi)

“…Thus, Catalonia displays one of the lowest incidences of cerebrovascular disease within Europe [41]. Another Spanish study conducted in Valladolid (west of Girona but around the same latitude) found a frequency of VaD of 5.9%, comparable to the 6.4% found in the ReDeGi [42]. Interestingly, in a meta-analysis including 48 studies [43], geographical variations of VaD and AD were also described in China, where an increased prevalence of VaD was detected in the North, whereas AD prevalence was found to be similar in the North and in the South.…”

Lewy body dementias

“…12 In a population-based study, 7·6% of dementia cases were diagnosed as dementia with Lewy bodies. 13 …”

Alzheimer's disease pathology explains association between dementia with Lewy bodies and APOE‐ε4/TOMM40 long poly‐T repeat allele variants

“…The two late‐onset Lewy body dementia forms, namely dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), represent the third most common type of late‐onset dementia after the commonest sporadic late‐onset Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, representing 7.6%–25% [1,2] of late‐onset dementia cases. DLB is characterized by the occurrence of significant cognitive decline before or within a year of the onset of typical Parkinson's disease (PD) motor signs, whereas the clinical diagnosis of PDD is based on dementia occurring in the subsequent course of PD, as per the third and fourth DLB consortium criteria [3–5].…”