TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors influencing survival among patients with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease
AU - Mortel, Karl F.
AU - Meyer, John S.
AU - Rauch, Gaiane M.
AU - Konno, Shizuko
AU - Haque, Anwarul
AU - Rauch, Ronald A.
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Cerebrovascular Research Laboratory and Radiology Service, VeteransA ffairs Medical Center, and Departments of Neurology and Radiolog~ Baylor College of Medicine,H ouston, TX. Received April 15, 1998; accepted September 29, 1998. Supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Central Office, Washington, DC; Harry K. Smith; and the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation, Houston, Texas. Address reprint requests to Jobaa Stifling Meyer, MD, Cerebral Blood Flow Laboratory--151A, VAMC, 2002 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030. Copyright 9 1999 by National Stroke Association 1052-3057/ 99 / 0802-000253.00/ 0 Factors influencing progression of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and vascular dementia (VAD), which represent the two primary dementing disorders of the elderly, continue to be investigated with improvements of clinical diagnostic precision and development of potential forms of management and treatment. Of the generally accepted risk factors for dementia, advancing age is file most significant; however, aging due to the passage of time cannot be controlled3 ,2 Other risk factors for DAT include female sex, postmenopausal state without estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), presence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) particularly for late-onset DAT, low levels of education, history of head injury, and family history of DAT and neurodegenerative disorders. 3-1~
PY - 1999/3
Y1 - 1999/3
N2 - Background and Purpose: Vascular dementia (VAD) and dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) are malignant conditions of the elderly. More information is required to clarify expected lengths of survival, which condition is more lethal, and which risk factors may influence survival duration. Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were used. Survival interval was the period after study admission to death. From a population of 392 patients (of the 150 patients with VAD, mean age at entry was 68.3 years, of the 242 patients with DAT, mean age at entry was 73.0 years), there were 52 deaths, 26 patients with VAD and 26 patients with DAT. Pre-entry dementia symptoms were present for a mean of 3.1 years, with median follow-up of 3.6 years. Among 236 control subjects, there were 19 deaths. Entry age was 69.5 years, with median follow-up of 8.8 years. Influences of risk factors for stroke and body mass index on symptom duration, survival intervals, and cause of death were evaluated. Results: Family history of neurodegenerative disorders, principally DAT, negatively influenced DAT survival. Body mass index declined with age and duration of pre-entry symptoms among men and women in all three groups. Before entry, for men, dementia symptoms were present for shorter periods compared with women. After entry, VAD and DAT patients had similar survival intervals. Causes of death were similarly distributed (78% of patients with VAD died from vascular causes, 56% of patients with DAT and 67% of the controls). Conclusion: VAD and DAT are malignant conditions negatively influencing survival times. Being a woman seems to play a protective role in symptom duration before diagnosis, but after diagnosis survival times of men and women were similar. We attribute equivalence of survival intervals among dementia groups to control of risk factors for cerebrovascular disease.
AB - Background and Purpose: Vascular dementia (VAD) and dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) are malignant conditions of the elderly. More information is required to clarify expected lengths of survival, which condition is more lethal, and which risk factors may influence survival duration. Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were used. Survival interval was the period after study admission to death. From a population of 392 patients (of the 150 patients with VAD, mean age at entry was 68.3 years, of the 242 patients with DAT, mean age at entry was 73.0 years), there were 52 deaths, 26 patients with VAD and 26 patients with DAT. Pre-entry dementia symptoms were present for a mean of 3.1 years, with median follow-up of 3.6 years. Among 236 control subjects, there were 19 deaths. Entry age was 69.5 years, with median follow-up of 8.8 years. Influences of risk factors for stroke and body mass index on symptom duration, survival intervals, and cause of death were evaluated. Results: Family history of neurodegenerative disorders, principally DAT, negatively influenced DAT survival. Body mass index declined with age and duration of pre-entry symptoms among men and women in all three groups. Before entry, for men, dementia symptoms were present for shorter periods compared with women. After entry, VAD and DAT patients had similar survival intervals. Causes of death were similarly distributed (78% of patients with VAD died from vascular causes, 56% of patients with DAT and 67% of the controls). Conclusion: VAD and DAT are malignant conditions negatively influencing survival times. Being a woman seems to play a protective role in symptom duration before diagnosis, but after diagnosis survival times of men and women were similar. We attribute equivalence of survival intervals among dementia groups to control of risk factors for cerebrovascular disease.
KW - Alzheimer's disease' Risk factors
KW - Survival intervals
KW - Vascular dementia
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U2 - 10.1016/S1052-3057(99)80055-X
DO - 10.1016/S1052-3057(99)80055-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 17895141
AN - SCOPUS:77949778616
SN - 1052-3057
VL - 8
SP - 57
EP - 65
JO - Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases
JF - Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases
IS - 2
ER -