title: Dementia diagnosis differs in men and women and depends on age and dementia severity: data from SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Quality Registry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examine the dementia assessment with focus on age and gender differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the national quality database, Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem), including 6,937 dementia patients diagnosed during 2007-2009 at memory clinics were used. We have studied the use of investigations for dementia diagnostics such as cognitive tests, blood and cerebrospinal fluid analyses, electroencephalography, radiological examinations and assessments of functions. Severity of cognitive impairment was assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant decrease in the number of total tests used in the elderly group (>75 years) when compared with the middle-aged group (65-75 years) and younger patients (<65 years). The oldest group was examined with 4 of 11 possible tests, the middle-aged group had 5/11 tests performed and the youngest age group 6/11 tests. There was also a significant gender difference in the diagnostic workup, however, mostly attributable to age. The number of tests positively correlated with the level of cognition assessed by the MMSE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We show here for the first time the impact of age, gender and MMSE score on the dementia diagnostic workup in a large memory clinic patient population in one country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. dorota.religa@ki.se
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Religa
authors.forename: Kalle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spångberg
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wimo
authors.forename: Ann-Katrin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Edlund
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winblad
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksdotter-Jönhagen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology