The prevalence of dementia in Europe: a collaborative study of 1980-1990 findings. Eurodem Prevalence Research Group.
To obtain age- and gender-specific estimates of the prevalence of dementia in Europe and to study differences in prevalence across countries, we pooled and re-analysed original data of prevalence studies of dementia carried out in some European countries between 1980 and 1990. The study followed these steps: census of existing datasets, collection of data in a standardized format, selection of datasets suitable for comparison, comparison of age and gender patterns. From the 23 datasets of European surveys considered, 12 were selected for comparison. Only population-based studies in which dementia was defined by DSM-III or equivalent criteria and in which all subjects were examined personally were included. Studies in which institutionalized subjects were not investigated were excluded. Age- and gender-specific prevalences were compared within and across studies and overall prevalences were computed. Although prevalence estimates differed across studies, the general age- and gender-distribution was similar for all studies. The overall European prevalences for the five-year age groups from 60 to 94 years, were 1.0, 1.4, 4.1, 5.7, 13.0, 21.6 and 32.2%, respectively. In subjects under 75 years the prevalence of dementia was slightly higher in men than in women; in those aged 75 years or over the prevalence was higher in women. The prevalence figures nearly doubled with every five years of increase in age.
Hofman
A
A
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Rocca
W A
WA
Brayne
C
C
Breteler
M M
MM
Clarke
M
M
Cooper
B
B
Copeland
J R
JR
Dartigues
J F
JF
da Silva Droux
A
A
Hagnell
O
O
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors