title: Alzheimer and vascular dementia in the elderly patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out the frequency of Alzheimer's and Vascular dementia in the elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in Department of Medicine, Ziauddin Hospital Karachi from 1stOctober 2013 to 31stMarch 2014. Patients with symptoms of dementia for more than 6 months duration, and Mini Mental State Examination score <24 were included in this study. Patients who fell in category of dementia were assessed for duration of symptoms. Patients underwent CT scan of brain. Patients with generalized atrophy of brain on CT scanning of brain were labeled as Alzheimer's dementia, while patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke on CT scan of brain were labeled as vascular dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred twenty two patients were included in this study. There were 232 (54.98 %) male and 190 (45.02 %) were female. The mean age ± SD of the patients was 72.58±5.34 years (95% CI: 72.07 to 73.09), similarly average duration of symptoms was 10.14±2.85 months. About 18.96% of patients were illiterate, 32.23% were matric, 28.44% were intermediate and 20.33% were graduate and post graduate. Hypertension and diabetes were the commonest co-morbid i.e. 81.3% and 73.7%, hyperlipedimia and smoking were 38.2% and 45% respectively. Frequency of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in the elderly was observed in 3.79% (16/422) and 2.61% (11/422) cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A good number of patients, 27 out of 422, in this hospital based study were suffering from Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Early detection and prompt treatment can reduce the burden of the disease in our population.
authors.affiliation: Naresh Kumar Seetlani, MBBS, FCPS. Assistant Professor, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Naresh Kumar
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Seetlani
authors.affiliation: Narindar Kumar, MBBS, FCPS. Resident, Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Narindar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Khalid Imran, MBBS, FCPS. Professor of Medicine, Dow International Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imran
authors.affiliation: Asif Ali, MBBS, FCPS. Registrar, Civil Hospital Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Asif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Nadia Shams, MBBS, FCPS. Assistant Professor of Medicine, RIHS Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shams
authors.affiliation: Taha Sheikh, MBBS. Final year Medical Student, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Taha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sheikh
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Dementia; Vascular dementia