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Multicenter Study
. 2023 Jul 18;15(1):125.
doi: 10.1186/s13195-023-01270-1.

Prevalence and modifiable risk factors for dementia in persons with intellectual disabilities

Shintaro Takenoshita  1 , Seishi Terada  2 , Tomokazu Inoue  3 , Taku Kurozumi  3 , Norihito Yamada  2 , Ryozo Kuwano  4 , Shigeru Suemitsu  3
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Prevalence and modifiable risk factors for dementia in persons with intellectual disabilities

Shintaro Takenoshita et al. Alzheimers Res Ther. .

Abstract

Background: People with intellectual disability (ID) without Down syndrome (DS) are presumed to be at higher risk of developing dementia due to their lower baseline cognitive reserve. We aimed to determine the prevalence of dementia in people with ID without DS and to identify risk factors of dementia.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey and multicenter study in Japan. Adults with ID without DS residing in the facilities were included. Caregivers of all participants were interviewed by medical specialists, and participants suspected of having cognitive decline were examined directly. ICD-10 criteria for dementia, DC-LD criteria for dementia, and DSM-5 criteria for neurocognitive disorders were used to diagnose dementia. The severity of ID, educational history, and comorbidities were compared by dividing the groups into those with and without dementia.

Results: A total of 1831 participants were included; 118/1831 (6.44%) were diagnosed with dementia. The prevalence of dementia for each age group was 8.8%, 60-64 years; 9.0%, 65-69 years; 19.6%, 70-74 years; and 19.4%, 75-79 years. Age, severity of ID, duration of education, hypertension, depression, stroke, and traumatic brain injury were significantly associated with the presence of dementia.

Conclusions: Although the prevalence of dementia in people with ID without DS was found to be higher at a younger age than in the general population, the results of this study suggested that adequate education, prevention of head trauma and stroke, and treatments of hypertension and depression may reduce the risk of dementia. These may be potentially important modifiable risk factors for the prevention of dementia in these people.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Dementia; Intellectual disability; Prevalence of dementia; Risk factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A Histogram and prevalence of dementia and MCI. B Prevalence of dementia by age: male and female. Abbreviation: MCI, mild cognitive impairment. The prevalence of dementia and MCI are shown above each bar graph, and the prevalence of MCI is shown in parentheses
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A Subtypes of dementia by age group. B Subtypes of MCI by age group. Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer’s disease dementia; VaD, vascular dementia; DLB, dementia with Lewy bodies; bvFTD, behavioral variant FTD; MCI, mild cognitive impairment
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