Changing relative prevalence of Alzheimer disease versus non-Alzheimer disease dementias: have we underestimated the looming dementia epidemic?
The relative prevalence of neurodegenerative dementias in our Veterans' Affairs dementia clinic has shifted from predominantly Alzheimer disease (AD) to predominantly non-AD diagnoses. Because our clinic was the only Veterans' Affairs clinic in Oklahoma that could initiate cholinesterase inhibitors, we had a captured patient referral source. If future epidemiologic studies establish that non-AD dementias are as, or more, prevalent than AD, then the looming dementia epidemic in the United States will be greater in magnitude than currently predicted.
Ross
Elliott D
ED
Department of Neurology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Okla., USA. elliott-ross@ouhsc.edu
Shah
Santosh N
SN
Prodan
Calin I
CI
Monnot
Marilee
M
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009825:Oklahoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs