OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immediate causes of death, in autopsied demented and non-demented elderly. DESIGN: Retrospective clinicopathologic correlations. SETTING: Acute and intermediate care geriatric hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 342 hospitalized demented and non-demented elderly (mean age 84.94 +/- 6.9 years) who underwent consecutive postmortem examinations: 120 demented patients with either vascular dementia (VaD, n = 34), mixed dementia (MD, n = 65) or Alzheimer's disease (AD, n=21) neuropathologically confirmed and 222 nondemented elderly. RESULTS: Primary causes of death were similar in both demented and non-demented patients; the commonest were cardiovascular disease and bronchopneumonia. Cardiac causes of death and especially cardiac failure were more frequent in VaD than in AD or MD (respectively P = 0.027 and 0.005). Dementia was an underlying but never a primary cause of death. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate causes of death are similar in elderly demented and non-demented patients.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immediate causes of death, in autopsied demented and non-demented elderly. DESIGN: Retrospective clinicopathologic correlations. SETTING: Acute and intermediate care geriatric hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 342 hospitalized demented and non-demented elderly (mean age 84.94 +/- 6.9 years) who underwent consecutive postmortem examinations: 120 demented patients with either vascular dementia (VaD, n = 34), mixed dementia (MD, n = 65) or Alzheimer's disease (AD, n=21) neuropathologically confirmed and 222 nondemented elderly. RESULTS: Primary causes of death were similar in both demented and non-demented patients; the commonest were cardiovascular disease and bronchopneumonia. Cardiac causes of death and especially cardiac failure were more frequent in VaD than in AD or MD (respectively P = 0.027 and 0.005). Dementia was an underlying but never a primary cause of death. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate causes of death are similar in elderly demented and non-demented patients.
Authors: Mark B Snowden; Lesley E Steinman; Lucinda L Bryant; Monique M Cherrier; Kurt J Greenlund; Katherine H Leith; Cari Levy; Rebecca G Logsdon; Catherine Copeland; Mia Vogel; Lynda A Anderson; David C Atkins; Janice F Bell; Annette L Fitzpatrick Journal: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2017-02-01 Impact factor: 3.485
Authors: Tiffany L Sudduth; Erica M Weekman; Brittani R Price; Jennifer L Gooch; Abigail Woolums; Christopher M Norris; Donna M Wilcock Journal: Neuroscience Date: 2016-11-25 Impact factor: 3.590
Authors: Tiffany L Sudduth; David K Powell; Charles D Smith; Abigail Greenstein; Donna M Wilcock Journal: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab Date: 2013-01-30 Impact factor: 6.200