Incidence of and risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment in Korean elderly

Abstract

Background/aims: Knowledge of incidence rates and risk factors is essential for the development of strategies to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: A subpopulation of the Nationwide Survey on Dementia Epidemiology (460 Korean subjects aged ≥65 years from 2 rural and 2 urban districts) was followed up for 3.5 years. The age-specific incidence was estimated and risk factors were identified.

Results: The age-standardized incidence of AD and MCI was 7.9 and 28.1 cases per 1,000 person-years, respectively. MCI was associated with a 6-fold increased risk of AD. Depression was a risk factor for AD with MCI. Age, lack of formal education, illiteracy, rural residence, and marital status were associated with the risk of AD.

Conclusion: Strategies to control modifiable risk factors should be implemented to decrease the incidence of AD.