Dementia in health claims data: The influence of different case definitions on incidence and prevalence estimates

Abstract

Objectives:The epidemiology of dementia subtypes including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) and their reliance on different case definitions ("algorithms") in health claims data are still understudied. Methods:Based on health claims data, prevalence estimates (per 100 persons), incidence rates (IRs, per 100 person-years), and proportions of AD, VD, and other dementias (oD) were calculated. Five algorithms of increasing strictness considered inpatient/outpatient diagnoses (#1, #2), antidementia drugs (#3) or supportive diagnostics (#4, #5).

Code-Based Algorithms for Identifying Dementia in Electronic Health Records: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice

“…Code-based algorithms, especially in the context of electronic health record (EHR) analysis, are computational strategies programmed to recognize and categorize health conditions like dementia using specific codes [1,2]. These codes can include the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, prescription identifiers, procedural tags, and other universally recognized markers.…”