title: The combined effect of age, education, and stroke on dementia and cognitive impairment no dementia in the elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aims to detect the impact of stroke on the occurrence of dementia and cognitive impairment/no dementia (CIND) in different age, sex, and education groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Persons with dementia (DSM-III-R) or CIND were identified by a two-phase study design among 7,930 persons from the population-based Faenza Community Aging Study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with a history of stroke had increased risk of both dementia [risk ratio (RR) = 3.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.1-4.4] and CIND (RR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.4-2.2). These associations were stronger in the younger-old (61-74 years) than in the older-old (75+ years), and among higher-educated (4+ years) than lower-educated (0-3 years of schooling) persons. Dementia and CIND prevalence among stroke subjects was similar to the prevalence detected among subjects 10 years older but without a history of stroke. In stroke subjects, dementia prevalence became higher than CIND prevalence 10 years earlier than in non-stroke subjects. A combined effect for dementia due to a history of stroke, increasing age, and decreasing years of schooling was detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stroke is a strong risk factor for dementia among younger-old and higher-educated subjects; in the presence of a stroke, dementia onset might occur about 10 years earlier, possibly by accelerating the progression from CIND to dementia.
authors: Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: De Ronchi
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Palmer
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Pioggiosi
authors: Anna Rita
authors: AR
authors: Atti
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Berardi
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Ferrari
authors: Edoardo
authors: E
authors: Dalmonte
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Fratiglioni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*