Prevalence of risk factors for dementia in middle- and older- aged people registered in Primary Health Care

Abstract

ABSTRACT. It is important to assess the prevalence of risk factors for dementia to slow down the progression and evolution of the disease, and to support interventions and prevention programs. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of these factors in individuals registered in Primary Health Care in Brazil and their relationship with sex and age group. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and quantitative study with n=300 individuals. We evaluated the prevalence of main risk factors (low education, hearing loss, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation, and diabetes mellitus) and others (poor diet, alcohol use, head trauma, monolingualism, visual impairment, and sleep disorders) identified in the literature. Poisson regression was used, according to sex and age group (45-59 years/60+ years). Results: The main risk factors with the highest prevalence were physical inactivity (60.3%) and depressive symptoms and hypertension (56.7% each). Among the other factors, monolingualism (98.0%), visual impairment (84.7%), and irregular consumption of fruits (60.4%), and vegetables (53.5%) prevailed. No differences were identified between sexes. The regression analysis confirmed a significant difference for education and age group, with older individuals having a higher prevalence of low schooling. Conclusion: The results can guide interventions, especially in developing countries. Practice of physical activity and healthy eating should be the focus of these interventions as they can indirectly help in reducing the prevalence of other factors. Early identification, screening and adequate treatment of depressive symptoms, high blood pressure and visual impairment can also contribute to reducing the prevalence of dementia.

Associação entre Demência vascular e Síndrome metabólica: uma revisão de literatura

“…A análise de regressão confirmou diferença significativa para escolaridade e faixa etária, sendo que os mais velhos apresentaram maior prevalência de baixa escolaridade. 11 Uma metanálise no Reino Unido teve como objetivo detectar variáveis no registro de atenção primária que podem indicar risco de desenvolvimento de demência e assim ser combinadas em um modelo preditivo para ajudar a encontrar pacientes que não possuem um diagnóstico. Para isso foram selecionados 3836 artigos, dos quais 20 estudos eram elegíveis para inclusão, todos europeus, compreendendo > 1 milhão de pacientes.…”