Dementia in Saudi Arabia: experience from a university hospital

Abstract

Objectives ‐ To describe the pattern of presentation, the types of dementia and the associated conditions in Saudi patients. Materials and methods ‐Hospital‐based study using DSM‐IV and ICD 10 criteria for consensus diagnosis of cases from clinical information and results of investigations. Dementia subtypes were made according to NINCDS‐ADRDA, NINDS‐AIREN and ICD 10 criteria while CDR was used for severity grading. Results ‐ A total of 77 demented patients (49 males, 28 females) were studied. The hospital frequency was 19.3/100,000 patients. The mean age at presentation was 74.6 years and age at onset was below 65 years in 17 patients. The types of dementia were: Alzheimer's disease (51.9%), vascular dementia (18.2%), mixed cases (15.6%), dementia with Parkinson's disease (7.8%) and treatable dementia (5.2%). Only 3 patients were in the severe clinical stage and infections were important causes of deterioration. Conclusion ‐ The hospital frequency appears to be low probably because of the relatively young population. The pattern of dementia with preponderance of AD is similar to that in western countries and intervention directed at the risk factors for stroke could reduce the burden of vascular dementia.

Characteristics of Patients with Dementia Attended in a Tertiary Outpatient Clinic in Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia

“…The prevalence of dementia in this study (12.9%) is similar to reported studies from Canada 8% [26], Italy 9.8% [27] and Netherlands 13.3% [28], but much higher than a previous hospital based study in Saudi Arabia 0.2% [12] and other countries. Farrag et al, 1998, [29] reported a prevalence of 4.5 % in As suit governorate-Egypt.…”

“…The patients' average age in our study was of the same range as most of the previous studies in Saudi Arabia [12], Brazil [32] and Malaysia [33]. A clear preponderance of males was also observed in the total sample and among patients with AD.…”

“…In the Gulf region, there is a paucity of epidemiological data on dementia in general, and Alzheimer's in particular [12][13][14][15][16]. Moreover, the study of dementia in our region has focused on the impairment of memory and other cognitive functions.…”

Effects of vitamin B12 supplementation on cognition, depression, and fatigue in patients with lacunar stroke

“…Subjects with dementia (29.6%) were higher than the ratio previously reported among older Saudis by Ogunniyi et al (1998) (2.1%). The higher prevalence may be because a larger proportion of the patients with organic mental disorders are being managed at the general hospital set up (i.e.…”

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in older patients attending an Arab tertiary facility

“…Cognitive disorders and depression among older people have been studied (Ogunniyi et al, 1998) but other mental disorders in late life have received little attention.…”