Fear of Alzheimer's disease in the French population: impact of age and proximity to the disease

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Cantegreil-Kallen ◽  
Stéphanie Pin
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
French Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Negative Image

ABSTRACTBackground: The negative image of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in our society has a substantial impact on treating, caring for and integrating those suffering from the disease and their relatives. Little research has been conducted on social perception of AD in the community.Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the perception, knowledge, opinions and beliefs about AD in the French population. A cross-sectional telephone survey of 2013 randomly selected community-dwelling people aged 18 years and over was conducted. Multivariate logistic regressions were used for identifying predictors of the personal fear of developing AD, both for the global sample and for different age groups.Results: Sixty percent of the sample reported personal fear of developing AD. This attitude was strongly related to age, becoming predominant among the elderly. In the middle-aged group, personal fear of developing AD was highest in women with poor self-perceived health and, in particular, those who cared for someone with AD. Being a caregiver or knowing someone with the disease was also strongly associated with fear among younger adults aged 18–34.Conclusions: These results serve as an incentive for developing special education and prevention programs focused on different age groups and caregivers of AD.

scholarly journals Worries about memory loss and knowledge on Alzheimer's disease in community-dwelling elderly from Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Niures P.S. Matioli ◽  
Arnaldo Etzel ◽  
João A.G.G. Prats ◽  
Wares F. de O. Medeiros ◽  
Taiguara R. Monteiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Memory Screening

Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Efforts to determine risk factors for the development of AD are important for risk stratification and early diagnosis. Furthermore, there are no standardized practices for memory screening. Lack of knowledge on AD, perception of memory loss as part of normal aging, and poor socioeconomic conditions may also be implicated in the current situation of dementia. Objective: To evaluate knowledge of AD in a literate population of elders and correlate these findings with sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: A descriptive survey design study enrolled 994 volunteers from September 2007 to May 2008 in the city of Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, to answer a brief questionnaire consisting of 8 simple questions about knowledge of AD and worries about memory loss. Results: Greater knowledge about AD was associated with eight or more years of education, female gender and age between 60 and 70 years. Also, 52.8% of responders (95% CI - 49.5-56.0%) answered that memory loss is part of normal aging and 77.5% (95% CI - 74.7-80.1%) had never sought a doctor to evaluate their memories. Conclusion: Our study results reinforced that the first line of preventing late diagnosis of dementia is to act in health promotion, especially by targeting subjects older than 70 years of male gender and with lower educational level. It also provided evidence that strategies to promote physician initiative in treating memory problems are also paramount.

scholarly journals Prevalência, desempenho cognitivo e funcionalidade de idosos com Doença de Alzheimer em instituições de longa permanência de Bento Gonçalves

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Fernandes Tonholi ◽  
Gisele Oltramari
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Functional Independence Measure ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Functional Evaluation ◽  
Cross Sectional

Aims: To determine the prevalence, cognitive performance and functionality of elderly people with Alzheimer's disease in long-stay institutions for the elderlyin the city of Bento Gonçalves. Methods: Cross-sectional study including 24 elderly residents in long-stay institutions for the elderly, sociodemographic datawere obtained, and the elderly were subjected to functional evaluation by the Functional Independence Measure and evaluation of cognitive performancethrough the mental state the Mini (MMSE). Results: Most of the residents were female (83%), as 54.2% schooling had completed junior high school, mostof the elderly (70.8%) was admitted by the will of the family, 100% of the elderly showed cognitive performance bad, and the smaller the more dependentcognitive performance was the individual. Conclusion: institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer's disease had negative results on cognitive performance,as well as deficits in their ability to perform activities of daily living, thus altering their functionality.Keywords: aging; functionality; cognition; Alzheimer Disease; long-stay institutions.

The Prevalence of Dementia in the Elderly: A Review

1994 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 253-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Rockwood ◽  
Karen Stadnyk
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Studies ◽  
Prevalence Studies ◽  
Clinical Interviews ◽  
Dementia Prevalence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Definition Of

We reviewed the findings of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging in the context of studies published between January 1986 and June 1993 that documented dementia and Alzheimer's disease prevalence. Studies were identified using a MEDLINE literature search. Additional references were selected from the bibliography of identified articles. Most reports of all types of dementia prevalence are within a narrow range for each of the age groups 65+, 75+ and 85+ years. By contrast, two recent reports on the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease have reported much higher estimates (10.3% and 15.3%) in the elderly (65+ years). A variety of threats to both validity and generalizability of the estimates are present in all studies. In community studies which employed clinical interviews most subjects were only mildly affected; the natural history of impairment of this group requires further study if the consequences of these findings are to be understood. There is important variability in the definition of the functional consequences of cognitive impairment in the elderly which affects both the diagnosis and staging of dementia.

Relative importance of patient disease indicators on informal care and caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Bergvall ◽  
Per Brinck ◽  
Daniel Eek ◽  
Anders Gustavsson ◽  
Anders Wimo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Behavioral Disturbances ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Disease Indicators ◽  
Zarit Burden Inventory

ABSTRACTBackground: Cognition, abilities in activities of daily living (ADL), and behavioral disturbances in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) all influence the number of hours informal caregivers spend caring for their patients, and the burden caregivers experience. However, the direct effect and relative importance of each disease severity measure remains unclear.Methods: Cross-sectional interviews were conducted with 1,222 AD patients and primary caregivers in Spain, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.A. Assessments included informal care hours, caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Inventory; ZBI), cognition (Mini-mental State Examination; MMSE), ADL-abilities (Disability Assessment for Dementia scale; DAD), and behavioral symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire; NPI-severity).Results: Multivariate analyses of 866 community-dwelling patients revealed that ADL-ability was the strongest predictor of informal care hours (36% decrease in informal care hours per standard deviation (SD) increase in DAD scores). Severity of behavioral disturbances was the strongest predictor of caregiver burden (0.35 SD increase in ZBI score per SD increase in NPI-Q severity score). In addition, the effect of ADL-abilities was, although attenuated, not negligible (0.28 SD increase in ZBI score per SD increase in DAD score). Decreasing cognition (MMSE) was associated with more informal care hours and increased caregiver burden in univariate, but not in adjusted analyses.Conclusions: For patients residing in community dwellings, the direct influence of patients’ cognition on caregiver burden is limited and rather mediated by other disease indicators. Instead, the patients’ ADL-abilities are the main predictor of informal care hours, and both ADL-abilities and behavioral disturbances are important predictors of perceived caregiver burden, where the latter has the strongest effect. These results were consistent across Sweden, U.K. and the U.S.A.

scholarly journals Nationwide study of antipsychotic use among community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer's disease in Finland

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 1623-1631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja-Liisa Laitinen ◽  
J. Simon Bell ◽  
Piia Lavikainen ◽  
Eija Lönnroos ◽  
Raimo Sulkava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Conditional Logistic Regression ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Limited Effectiveness

ABSTRACTBackground: Antipsychotics continue to be widely used in the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia despite their limited effectiveness and well-known risks, including increased mortality. Our aim was to investigate the national pattern of antipsychotic use among community-dwelling persons with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Finland.Methods: The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (SII) identified all persons with a verified diagnosis of AD in Finland on 31 December 2005. A control for each person with AD, matched in terms of age, sex and region of residence, was also identified. Data on reimbursed drug purchases in 2005 were extracted from the Finnish National Prescription Register. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the use of antipsychotics.Results: The study population comprised 28,089 matched pairs of persons with and without AD (mean age 80.0 years, SD 6.8, 32.2% men). The annual prevalence of antipsychotic use was higher among persons with than without AD (22.1% vs. 4.4%, adjusted OR = 5.91; 95% CI 5.91–6.31). Among persons with AD, the prevalence of antipsychotic use was similar across all age groups. Of the antipsychotic users, 85.2% with AD and 51.3% without AD purchased second generation antipsychotics. Most antipsychotic prescriptions – 67.8% in the AD and 62.9% in the non-AD group – were generated in primary care situations.Conclusion: One-fifth of persons with AD used antipsychotic drugs. Antipsychotic use was six times more prevalent among persons with AD than without AD. Most antipsychotics were prescribed by primary care physicians.

scholarly journals Enablers And Barriers To Utilisation Of Available Formal Support By Institutionalised Individuals With Alzheimer’s Disease And Related Dementias In Rural South Western Uganda: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALLENCE NIYONZIMA ◽  
Samuel Maling ◽  
Zeina Chemali
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Support Services ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Formal Support ◽  
Western Uganda

Abstract Background: The world’s population is ageing resulting in a larger number of people living with dementia. Prevalence of dementia for persons aged above 60 years is expected to increase . There is paucity of information regarding formal support available for institutionalised individuals with AD/ADRD, enablers and barriers to its utilisation particularly South Western Uganda. Therefore this study, filling this knowledge gap, sought to assess formal support available for individuals with AD/ADRD, enablers and barriers to its utilisation in rural communities in South Western Uganda Methods: This study was conducted in two nongovernmental community based facilities for the elderly in South Western Uganda employing a qualitative cross sectional study design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. A total of 28 in depth interviews and 6 key informant interviews were conducted. Results: Three arching themes emerged: 1) Formal support services available, 2) Enablers and 3) Barriers to the utilisation of the formal support services in institutionalised patients with AD/ADRD in rural communities in South Western Uganda. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of formal care in the long-term care of individuals with AD/ADRD. There is a dire need to equip caretakers involved in the care of patients with AD/ADRD with the required skill set and include formal support services in the mainstream primary health care to make the services accessible.

scholarly journals Prescription of Benzodiazepines and Related Drugs in Patients with Mild Cognitive Deficits and Alzheimer’s Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (02) ◽  
pp. 84-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Hessmann ◽  
Richard Dodel ◽  
Erika Baum ◽  
Matthias Müller ◽  
Greta Paschke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inappropriate Use ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Lower Hrqol

Abstract Introduction Benzodiazepines and related drugs (BZDR) should be avoided in patients with cognitive impairment. We evaluated the relationship between a BZDR treatment and the health status of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods Cross-sectional study in 395 AD patients using bivariate and multiple logistic analyses to assess correlations between the prescription of BZDR and patients’ characteristics (cognitive and functional capacity, health-related quality of life (HrQoL), neuropsychiatric symptoms). Results BZDR were used in 12.4% (n=49) of all participants. In bivariate analyses, the prescription was associated with a lower HrQoL, a higher need of care, and the presence of anxiety. Multivariate models revealed a higher risk of BZDR treatment in patients with depression (OR 3.85, 95% CI: 1.45 – 10.27). Community-dwelling participants and those treated by neurologists/psychiatrists had a lower risk of receiving BZDR (OR 0.33, 95% CI: 0.12 – 0.89 and OR 0.16, 95% CI: 0.07 – 0.36). Discussion The inappropriate use of BZDR conflicts with national and international guidelines. We suggest evaluating indications and treatment duration and improving the knowledge of alternative therapies in healthcare institutions.

scholarly journals Plasma osteopontin as a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular cognitive impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuek Ling Chai ◽  
Joyce R. Chong ◽  
Ainiah R. Raquib ◽  
Xin Xu ◽  
Saima Hilal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Inflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Inflammatory Marker ◽  
Vascular Diseases ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Vascular Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

AbstractCerebrovascular disease (CeVD) and neurodegenerative dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are frequently associated comorbidities in the elderly, sharing common risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms including neuroinflammation. Osteopontin (OPN) is an inflammatory marker found upregulated in vascular diseases as well as in AD. However, its involvement in vascular dementia (VaD) and pre-dementia stages, namely cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), both of which fall under the spectrum of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), has yet to be examined. Its correlations with inflammatory cytokines in cognitive impairment also await investigation. 80 subjects with no cognitive impairment (NCI), 160 with CIND and 144 with dementia were included in a cross-sectional study on a Singapore-based memory clinic cohort. All subjects underwent comprehensive clinical, neuropsychological and brain neuroimaging assessments, together with clinical diagnoses based on established criteria. Blood samples were collected and OPN as well as inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were measured using immunoassays. Multivariate regression analyses showed significant associations between increased OPN and VCI groups, namely CIND with CeVD, AD with CeVD and VaD. Interestingly, higher OPN was also significantly associated with AD even in the absence of CeVD. We further showed that increased OPN significantly associated with neuroimaging markers of CeVD and neurodegeneration, including cortical infarcts, lacunes, white matter hyperintensities and brain atrophy. OPN also correlated with elevated levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF. Our findings suggest that OPN may play a role in both VCI and neurodegenerative dementias. Further longitudinal analyses are needed to assess the prognostic utility of OPN in disease prediction and monitoring.

scholarly journals Association Between Frailty and Development of Alzheimer's Disease–Related Dementias

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 42-42
Author(s):  
Chih-Ying Cynthia Li ◽  
Brian Downer ◽  
Lin-Na Chou ◽  
Kenneth Ottenbacher ◽  
Kyriakos S Markides ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Free Probability ◽  
Interval Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Frailty Status ◽  
Mini Mental Status Exam ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Frailty is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). However, this association has not been investigated in older Mexican Americans; a population that is high-risk for frailty and ADRD. This study investigated the association between frailty and the development of ADRD over 9-year period. We analyzed 860 Mexican Americans ≥76 years old of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic-EPESE) who have been linked with Medicare claims data. Survey data from Wave 6 (2007/08) was used to categorize participants as frail (either pre-frail or frail) or non-frail according to the Fried phenotype. The main outcome was ADRD diagnosis after Wave 6 interview. ADRD status was determined using the Chronic Conditions Segment of the Master Beneficiary Summary File. We estimated ADRD disease-free probability during 2007-2016 using midpoint of interval data method stratified by frailty status. Mean age of the study sample was 83.2 years (SD=4.4) and 59.3% were female. We found individuals who were frail had less ADRD-free months (46.5; SD= 36.5-52) compared to those who were non-frail (66.0; SD= 47.5-120). Individuals with a score of less than 21 points on the Mini Mental Status Exam had greater risks of ADRD development (Odds Ratio=1.35, 95% CI= 1.05-1.74) compared to their counterpart, after controlling mortality as a competing risk. Our results suggest being pre-frail, frail or cognitively impaired are risk factors for ADRD in community-dwelling older Mexican Americans.

Diabetes Mellitus, Elevated Hemoglobin A1c, and Glycated Albumin Are Associated with the Presence of All-Cause Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: The JPSC-AD Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Moeko Noguchi-Shinohara ◽  
Sohshi Yuki-Nozaki ◽  
Chiemi Abe ◽  
Ayaka Mori ◽  
Mai Horimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Hemoglobin A1c ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Glycated Albumin ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Model Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Glucose dysmetabolism is an important risk factor for dementia. Objective: We investigated the associations of diabetes mellitus, the levels of glycemic measures, and insulin resistance and secretion measures with dementia and its subtypes in a cross-sectional study. Methods: In this study, 10,214 community-dwelling participants were enrolled. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), the HOMA of percent β-cell function (HOMA-β), and the glycated albumin (GA) was evaluated. The associations of each measure with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) were investigated. Results: The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of AD were significantly higher in participants with diabetes mellitus than in those without diabetes (1.46 [95% CI: 1.08–1.97]). Higher HbA1c levels were significantly associated with AD at diabetes (≥6.5%) and even at prediabetes (5.7 %–6.4 %) levels; multivariable-adjusted ORs for AD in participants at the diabetes level were 1.72 (95% CI: 1.19–2.49), and those in participants at the prediabetes level were 1.30 (95% CI: 1.00–1.68), compared with those in normal participants. Moreover, higher GA levels were associated with AD. No associations were observed between the diabetic status or the levels of glycemic measures and VaD. In addition, no significant relationships were observed between insulin resistance and secretion measurements and AD and VaD. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia are significantly associated with AD, even in individuals at the prediabetes level.

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