An epidemiological survey of age-related dementia in an urban area of Beijing.
An epidemiological survey of age-related dementia among community residents of an urban of Beijing was conducted in 1986. Initial screening of 1331 subjects aged 60 and above was made using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) with a cutoff point of 17. All suspected cases of dementia and 5.5% of all others were then given a full clinical examination, with subjects being diagnosed and classified according to DSM-III criteria. The MMSE was found to have satisfactory sensitivity, although scores were significantly correlated with education. Prevalence rates of moderate and severe dementia were 1.28% for those aged 60 and above and 1.82% for those aged 65 and above. Rates for multi-infarct dementia were higher than those for primary degenerative dementia; females had higher rates than males and rates increased sharply with age. All the dementia cases were cared for in their own homes, by relatives. There is a need for increased knowledge and services for elderly people in the community.
Li
G
G
Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical College, Peoples Republic of China.
Shen
Y C
YC
Chen
C H
CH
Zhao
Y W
YW
Li
S R
SR
Lu
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D014505:Urban Population