Systematic review and meta-analyses on the prevalence of dementia in Latin America and Caribbean countries: Exploring sex, rurality, age, and education as possible determinants
Background: Studies have shown that the prevalence of dementia in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) may be higher than in high-income countries. Thus, we sought to systematically analyse the prevalence of dementia and explore possible drivers that lead to this disparity in LAC countries. Method: We searched Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Lilacs, and SciELO for studies on dementia in LAC countries in English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages. Random-effects model was applied. Results: Twenty-nine studies from 12 LAC countries were included. Pooled prevalence of all-cause dementia was 11%. Further analyses with studies providing raw prevalence by sex, area, and educational level showed a higher prevalence for women (9%) than for men (5%). Also, dementia prevalence was higher for rural than urban residents (12% vs 8%, respectively). Participants without formal education presented more than double the prevalence of dementia (22%) compared to those with at least one year of formal education (10%). Studies with more recent data collection showed higher dementia prevalence. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a high global dementia prevalence in LAC countries and an unequal burden of dementia for women, lower-educated, and rural residents. Secular raises in dementia prevalence call for increased public health efforts for preventative action.