An exploratory study on the prevalence of early dementia among geriatric population in a rural area of district Jammu

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONDementia is not a normal part of ageing. Continuous improvements in health care have contributed to longer and healthier life expectancies which also has resulted in an increase in non-communicable diseases especially dementia. Current estimates indicate 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia.1 Nearly 60 percent of the burden of dementia is concentrated in low-and middle-income countries. Dementia not only affect individuals, it also affects and changes the lives of family members and caregivers. There is a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia resulting in isolation and stigmatization. Poor knowledge creates barriers to timely diagnosis and accessing ongoing medical and social care, leading to a large gap in treatment and management. Dementia has impact on social, economic, and health domains of individuals. There is very limited research on dementia especially in developing countries and the modifiable risk factors of dementia are even less explored. Though there is no current standard treatment to cure or even alter the course of dementia. The focus should be on early diagnosis, optimising physical health, and cognition, detecting and treating behavioural and psychological symptoms and providing information and long-term support to caregivers.The detection of dementia should be conducted without unduly alarming the patient. In this respect, informant-based assessments ABSTRACT Background: Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide. Dementia can no longer be neglected but should be considered as a public health priority especially by those who are involved in framing and implementing various health policies and programmes. Community based screening to detect dementia in undiagnosed individuals is emerging as a promising health promotion strategy. Methods: The present study was an exploratory cross sectional community based study, conducted in rural area of Jammu region in the month of July and August 2016 among all individual aged 60 years or more who were willing to participate in the study. A brief informant-based screening questionnaire, namely the Symptoms of Early Dementia-11 Questionnaire (SED-11Q) for screening of early dementia was used. Results: A total of 129 individuals participated in the study and out of them 18 persons were categorised to be suffering from early dementia using SED-11Q with overall prevalence rate of 13.95%. Dementia was more common among females as compared to males and prevalence of dementia was highest among people belonging to lowermiddle and middle socioeconomic classes. Conclusions: The SED-11Q categorised nearly 13.95% asymptomatic individuals to be suffering from dementia which is an alarming figure considering it as a disease which affects quality of life and contributes to morbidity of affected individuals.

Classification of Dementia Severity in Taiwan Based on History-Based Clinical Diagnosis System

“…14 Informant-based assessments may preferably than other screening methods as they can be completed by informants in a short time and determine whether to seek further diagnostic. Examples of informant-based assessments are the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) [15][16][17] to evaluate cognitive decline from a premorbid level on informant reports, the Ascertain Dementia 8 (AD8), 18,19 and the Symptoms of Early Dementia-11 Questionnaire (SED-11Q) 20,21 for the ealy dementia detection. Recently, machine learning approach has been used for informant-based diagnosis.…”