title: Application of capture-recapture methodology to estimate the prevalence of dementia in South Carolina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dementia in individuals 65 years of age and older in the state of South Carolina using capture-recapture methodology.
  
  
  METHODS
  We linked data from the Department of Mental Health admissions, inpatient admissions, and emergency room visits. Separate log-linear models were used to obtain estimates of the underascertainment-corrected prevalence of dementia in twelve age-gender-race subgroups, which were summed to estimate the prevalence of dementia in the total population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found an overall prevalence of dementia of 14% in South Carolina for persons 65 years of age and older using capture-recapture methodology. This estimate of persons with dementia is 25% higher than the identified cases of dementia in the South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Registry (10.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although capture-recapture methods are prone to limitations, they can be used to more accurately estimate the prevalence of dementia in a geographic area.
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer's Disease Registry, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. msanderson@utb.edu
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanderson
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.forename: Marcia J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Carol B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Cornman
authors.forename: Dorothy R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D015995:Prevalence; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D012042:Registries; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology