Undiagnosed Diseases in Patients with Dementia – A Potential Target Group for Intervention

Publisher: Karger

E-ISSN: 1421-9824|18|3-4|321-329

ISSN: 1420-8008

Source: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Vol.18, Iss.3-4, 2004-10, pp. : 321-329

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Abstract

Objective: To study undiagnosed diseases in older people with and without dementia. Design: Cross-sectional population-based study in Lieto, southwestern Finland. Participants: All the inhabitants aged 64 and more in Lieto. Participation rate was 82% (n = 1,260). Measurements: Dementia and its subtypes were diagnosed according to prevailing criteria. Medical conditions were assessed in clinical examinations and from medical records. Results: 112 patients with dementia were found; 66% of them had at least 1 undiagnosed disease compared to 48% of the non-demented group (p = 0.041). The demented subjects had more undiagnosed hypercholesterolaemia (p = 0.039) and undiagnosed hypothyroidism (p = 0.032) than the controls. Conclusion: Undiagnosing is more common among patients with dementia. Screening strategies should be developed further to find these patients.