J Korean Med Sci.  2016 Oct;31(10):1635-1640. 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.10.1635.

Which Stratum of Urban Elderly Is Most Vulnerable for Dementia?

• Moon Y
• Lee H
• NamGung OK
• Han SH

• KMID: 2468256
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.10.1635

Abstract

Many factors associated with a patient's lifestyle may disrupt timely access to dementia diagnosis and management. The aim of this study was to compare characteristics of lifestyle factors at the time of initial evaluation for dementia across degrees of dementia, and to identify risk factors relating to late detection of dementia, in order to understand the various lifestyle barriers to timely recognition of the disease. We reviewed medical records of 1,409 subjects who were diagnosed as dementia among 35,723 inhabitants of Gwangjin-gu. Dementia severity was divided into three degrees. Age, sex, education, income, smoking, heavy drinking, physical activity, religion, and living conditions were evaluated. There was a significantly greater proportion of individuals who were old age, female, less educated, who had never smoked or drank heavily, without physical activity, with no religious activity and living with family other than spouse in the severe dementia group. The lifestyle risks of late detection were old age, lower education, less social interactions, less physical activity or living with family. We can define this group of patients as the vulnerable stratum to dementia evaluation. Health policy or community health services might find ways to better engage patients in this vulnerable stratum to dementia.

Keyword

Screening; Dementia; Health Services; Elderly

MeSH Terms

Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Dementia/*diagnosis/pathology/prevention & control
Female
Health Policy
Humans
Life Style
Logistic Models
Male
Odds Ratio
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Severity of Illness Index
Sex Factors
Smoking
Socioeconomic Factors

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