Risk factors for dementia in a rural area of Northeastern Brazil

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria

Manuela Oliveira De Cerqueira Magalhães²  Josecy Maria De Souza Peixoto²  Mônica Hupsel Frank²  Irênio Gomes¹  Bernardo Mota Rodrigues²  Carla Menezes²  Eduardo Cardoso²  Fernando Carvalho¹  Roque Aras²  Ailton Melo² 

[1] ,Universidade Federal da Bahia Divisão de Neurologia e Epidemiologia Salvador BA ,Brazil

关键词: dementia;    elderly;    population aging;    prevalence;    risk factors;    demência;    envelhecimento;    prevalência;    fatores de risco;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0004-282X2008000200003

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for dementia among the elderly in a rural area of Northeastern Brazil. METHOD: The subjects assessed were all 60 years old or older, and lived in a rural region of Bahia, a Northeastern State of Brazil. CAMDEX, a structured clinical evaluation protocol, was used for diagnosis, and applied at the home of the subjects. RESULTS: The risk factors identified were divided in accordance with socio-demographic characteristics, the presence of co-morbid conditions, and the use of medications. The variables with strong association with dementia were age, history of stroke, arterial hypertension, and sight impairment. CONCLUSION: Advanced age, arterial hypertension, and vascular brain injury were the main risk factors associated with dementia, which suggests that public health measures adopted to prevent and control modifiable risk factors can mitigate the prevalence of high rates of dementia.

【 授权许可】

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