title: [The Epidemiology of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease in Portugal: Estimations of Prevalence and Treatment-Costs].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence and prevalence of global dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) increase with age, almost doubling every five years after the sixth decade of life. Demographic aging is a reality in Portugal, being expectable that the number of dementia cases also increases. Even so, dementia-epidemiological data in Portugal is scarce and cost-of-illness studies are almost inexistent. Our aims were to obtain up-to-date information about the prevalence of dementia/ Alzheimer's disease in Portugal, to estimate the number of cases effectively diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease and to determine illness-costs with specific dementia treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The numbers of age-adjusted prevalence of dementia obtained for Occidental Europe (Alzheimer's Disease International study), where applied to the resident population in Portugal (2013). Estimations related to diagnosis and treatment-costs were based in data provided by the Intercontinental Marketing Services Health (IMSH)-2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The estimated number of Portuguese people with dementia among those aged ≥60 years, is 160,287, representing 5.91% of this population-stratum. Knowing Alzheimer's disease is responsible for 50-70% of all cases, we might conclude there are between 80,144 and 112,201 patients. According to IMSH-data, 76250 receive anti-dementia drugs and the costs of this kind of medication is 37 M€¬/year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a consequence of the demographic aging, also the number of dementia cases increases. Apparently, not all Alzheimer's disease patients receive the recommended medication, suggesting this condition is still under-diagnosed. However, figures indicate a positive progression with an increment of treated cases and a reduction of medication-costs.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal. Departamento de Neurologia. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal. Consulta de Demência. Serviço de Neurologia. Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Reumatologia. Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga. Aveiro. Portugal.
authors.forename: Filipa
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farinha
authors.affiliation: Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal. Centro de Investigação. Núcleo de Estudos e Intervenção Cognitivo Comportamental (CINEICC). Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiologia e Medicina Preventiva. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
authors.forename: Vítor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Mental e Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Ciências Médicas. Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Lisboa. Portugal. Programa de Saúde Mental. Direcção Geral de Saúde. Lisboa. Portugal.
authors.forename: Ålvaro
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence