Survival in a population-based cohort of dementia patients: predictors and causes of mortality

✍ Scribed by Froukje Boersma; Wim Van Den Brink; Dorly J. H. Deeg; Jan A. Eefsting; Willem Van Tilburg

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 82 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199909)14:9<748::aid-gps3>3.0.co;2-h

✦ Synopsis

Objectives. To examine predictors of survival time and causes of mortality in a population-based cohort of demented subjects.

Design. Longitudinal naturalistic follow-up study.

Setting. A rural area in The Netherlands.

Participants. The study population consisted of 102 demented subjects derived from a population-based, two-stage prevalence study of dementia among subjects aged 65 and over.

Measurements and analysis. Survival analysis was performed using the Realized Probability of Dying as a measure of survival time. Adjustment for duration and severity at study entry was employed in all analyses.

Results. A substantial excess mortality was present among demented subjects as compared with their nondemented birth cohort. Disorders related to dementia, such as cachexia, dehydration and pneumonia, were major causes of death. Variables related to severity of functional impairment, aphasia and a shorter duration at study entry predicted a shorter survival in the study population.