Prevalence of Mental Disorders, Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia Among Older Adults in Egypt: Protocol for a Systematic Review (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND In Egypt, the population of the elderly is fast growing. The 2006 census estimated the 60 years and above elderly population as 7.2% and it is forecasted to rise to 10.9% in 2016. There is growing evidence that older population are more at risk of some forms of mental illnesses such as depression, dementia and many more. Therefore, this study aims to review current evidence of the prevalence of mental illnesses amongst the elderly populace in Egypt. This will be achieved by estimating the current prevalence and then identifying any sociodemographic factors that correlates with mental illnesses. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to systematically review current studies that examine mental illnesses amongst the elderly populace in Egypt. METHODS Electronic search of five key databases (MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, AMED and PUBMED) will be carried out from their date of inception. In addition, reference list scanning, key journal searching, citation searching and relevant internet resources will be conducted. Studies will be included, if they were published in English, prevalence or cross-sectional studies carried out on adults Egyptians aged 60 and above and a validated diagnostic tool was used to ascertain mental illness. Studies which did not meet any of the criteria detailed above will be excluded. RESULTS This systematic review was started in November, 2017. The literature search from the five databases revealed 343 papers. After screening titles and abstract and carrying out citation scanning, reference list scanning and internet source search a total of 38 full articles were accessed and after matching it with the eligibility criteria 16 studies were included in this study. We are currently in the process of data extraction and synthesis CONCLUSIONS This research will help bring to the forefront the scale of mental health illnesses amongst the elderly in Egypt. This may help ensure evidence-based initiatives are put in place and also priority is given to resource allocation for geriatric mental health in Egypt CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO CRD42018114831