Incidence and prevalence of dementia in elderly adults with mental retardation without down syndrome.
Rates of dementia in adults with mental retardation without Down syndrome were equivalent to or lower than would be expected compared to general population rates, whereas prevalence rates of other chronic health concerns varied as a function of condition. Given that individual differences in vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease have been hypothesized to be due to variation in cognitive reserve, adults with mental retardation, who have long-standing intellectual and cognitive impairments, should be at increased risk. This suggests that factors determining intelligence may have little or no direct relationship to risk for dementia and that dementia risk for individuals with mental retardation will be comparable to that of adults without mental retardation unless predisposing risk factors for dementia are also present.
New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island 10314, USA. wbz3@columbia.edu
Warren B
WB
Zigman
Nicole
N
Schupf
Darlynne A
DA
Devenny
Charles
C
Miezejeski
Robert
R
Ryan
Tiina K
TK
Urv
Romaine
R
Schubert
Wayne
W
Silverman
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires