January 1, 2003Neuroepidemiology
Evaluation of Dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study
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Discussion
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Implication
Longitudinal cohort study reveals dementia and cognitive impairment rates in older adults, highlighting Alzheimer's disease predominance and distinct racial variations.
Key Points
- To describe a comprehensive methodology for evaluating dementia, establishing the frequency of specific dementia subtypes, and determining cognitive impairment prevalence in the Cardiovascular Health Study.
- Followed a longitudinal cohort of 3,608 community-dwelling adults aged over 65 who underwent brain MRI in 1991, drawn from an original study population of 5,888.
- Administered annual cognitive assessments alongside detailed neurological and neuropsychological evaluations between 1998 and 2000.
- Adjudicated suspected dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cases using an expert consensus panel of neurologists and psychiatrists comparing pre- and post-MRI diagnostic data.
- Identified 480 cases (13.3%) of incident dementia, 227 cases (6.3%) of prevalent dementia, 577 cases (16.0%) of MCI, and 2,318 cognitively normal participants (64.4%).
- Subtyped incident dementia cases into Alzheimer's disease (69%), vascular dementia (11%), mixed etiology (16%), and other types (4%), demonstrating substantial diagnostic agreement before and after MRI.
- Recorded final dementia frequencies among surviving participants in 1998-1999 of 13.5% in white men, 14.5% in white women, 22.2% in black men, and 23.4% in black women.
Cite This Study
López et al. (2003) studied this question.