title: Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in developing countries: prevalence, management, and risk factors.
abstract: Despite mortality due to communicable diseases, poverty, and human conflicts, dementia incidence is destined to increase in the developing world in tandem with the ageing population. Current data from developing countries suggest that age-adjusted dementia prevalence estimates in 65 year olds are high (>or=5%) in certain Asian and Latin American countries, but consistently low (1-3%) in India and sub-Saharan Africa; Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60% whereas vascular dementia accounts for approximately 30% of the prevalence. Early-onset familial forms of dementia with single-gene defects occur in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Illiteracy remains a risk factor for dementia. The APOE epsilon4 allele does not influence dementia progression in sub-Saharan Africans. Vascular factors, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, are likely to increase the burden of dementia. Use of traditional diets and medicinal plant extracts might aid prevention and treatment. Dementia costs in developing countries are estimated to be US$73 billion yearly, but care demands social protection, which seems scarce in these regions.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. r.n.kalaria@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Raj N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Kalaria
authors.forename: Gladys E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Maestre
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arizaga
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Friedland
authors.forename: Doug
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galasko
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Luchsinger
authors.forename: Adesola
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogunniyi
authors.forename: Elaine K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Potocnik
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wimo
authors.forename: Zhen-Xin
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Antuono
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4 / Q000235:genetics; D015897:Comorbidity; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011157:Population Dynamics; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4