Prevalence of Cognitive and Functional Impairment in a Community Sample from São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Aims: To present the prevalence of cognitive and functional impairment (CFI) in community-dwelling elderly subjects from the city of São Paulo. Methods: The population was aged 60 years and older (n = 1,563; 68.7% women and 31.3% men) and lived in different socioeconomic areas. The following instruments were administered to the elderly: the Mini Mental State Examination and the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation. The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly and the Bayer-Activities of Daily Living scale were administered to an informant. Results: The prevalence of CFI (n = 250) was 16% (95% confidence interval, CI: 14.2–17.8%) or 15.8% (95% CI: 13.8–17.8%). In regression models, the increase in the odds ratio (OR) of CFI was associated with age, for elderly individuals aged 75 years or older, illiterates or with 1–4 years of schooling, and with a history of stroke and diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, for subjects with a tumor history, the OR of CFI was significantly reduced. Conclusion: CFI was high and increased at older ages and in subjects with low education. Potentially changeable factors were identified (stroke and diabetes), and the possible ‘protective effect’ of tumor/cancer against CFI should be further investigated by longitudinal studies.

Proton Spectroscopy in Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Impairment No Dementia: A Community-Based Study

“…A random sample (random selection of addresses obtained from our census) of 2,233 subjects older than 60 years was approached in the community, and a total of 1,563 subjects accepted to be visited by a trained interviewer. Interviewers obtained patient or caregiver informed consent, which was approved by the local research ethics committee, and administered the screening tests [13] . The tests included: the MMSE [14] , the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation [15] administered to the elderly; the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly [16] , the Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale [17] administered to an informant.…”

Estimate of Dementia Prevalence in a Community Sample from São Paulo, Brazil

“…The sociodemographic characteristics of the sample assessed at home have recently been presented in greater detail [8] : mean age was 71.4 years (range = 60-102; SD = 8.03), 83.5% with less than 80 years of age, 68.7% were female, 16.6% were illiterate, 71.0% had up to 8 years of schooling, 73.6% were classified as white and 15.6% as brown regarding skin color. According to the 2000 census [3] , the city of São Paulo had 88.4% of elderly with less than 80 years of age, 59.4% were female, 15.6% were illiterate, 80.0% had up to 8 years of schooling, 78.0% were classified as white and 13.3% as brown according to skin color.…”

Clinical and biological predictors of Alzheimer's disease in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

“…Hototian et al reported a prevalence of 16% of cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) in subjects over 60 years-old in Sao Paulo. 3 Chaves et al reported that the incidence of mild cognitive impairment, as defined by the Clinical Dementia Rating of 0.5, was 13.2 per 1000 elderly subjects per year. 4 In a clinical setting, we have recently shown that patients with multiple-domain amnestic MCI tend to be older and to have a worse cognitive performance than those with single-domain MCI (amnestic and non-amnestic), suggesting that the former subgroup may represent a more severe stage of MCI.…”