T Vega Alonso1, M Miralles Espí2, J M Mangas Reina3, D Castrillejo Pérez4, A I Rivas Pérez5, M Gil Costa6, A López Maside2, E Arrieta Antón7, J E Lozano Alonso6, M Fragua Gil8. 1. Consejería de Sanidad, Dirección General de Salud Pública, Valladolid, España. Electronic address: tomas.vega@jcyl.es. 2. Conselleria de Sanitat Universal i Salut Pública de la Comunitat Valenciana, Valencia, España. 3. Consejería de Sanidad y Políticas Sociales de la Junta de Extremadura, Cáceres, España. 4. Consejería de Presidencia y Salud Pública de Melilla, Melilla, España. 5. Consejería de Sanidad, Consumo y Menores de Ceuta, Ceuta, España. 6. Consejería de Sanidad, Dirección General de Salud Pública, Valladolid, España. 7. Centro de Salud de Segovia Rural, Segovia, España. 8. Centro de Salud de Carbonero el Mayor, Carbonero el Mayor, Segovia, España.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment, a clinical entity causing complete or partial intellectual dysfunction, is a major public health concern that poses a challenge for health and social services. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of this disorder in people aged 65 and older visiting the primary care physician in 5 health sentinel networks. METHOD: A sample of patients visiting their primary care doctor on 4 randomly selected days completed the Mini-Cog screening test. Diagnosis of cognitive impairment was confirmed with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Alzheimer's Questionnaire. We estimated raw and adjusted rates using demographic and social variables. RESULTS: We included 4,624 patients from 5 autonomous communities and representing a population of 1,723,216 inhabitants. The adjusted prevalence rate was 18.5% (95% CI 17.3-19.7], with differences between sentinel networks. Women showed higher adjusted rates than men: 18.5 vs. 14.3%. The highest prevalence rate was observed in people aged 85 and older (45.3%); prevalence rates vary depending on education level and marital status. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive impairment is a frequent reason for consultations in primary care. Its prevalence is higher in women and increases exponentially with age. A number of sensitive, validated tools have been proven useful in screening for and confirming cognitive impairment. Using these tools in primary care settings enables early treatment of these patients.
INTRODUCTION:Cognitive impairment, a clinical entity causing complete or partial intellectual dysfunction, is a major public health concern that poses a challenge for health and social services. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of this disorder in people aged 65 and older visiting the primary care physician in 5 health sentinel networks. METHOD: A sample of patients visiting their primary care doctor on 4 randomly selected days completed the Mini-Cog screening test. Diagnosis of cognitive impairment was confirmed with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Alzheimer's Questionnaire. We estimated raw and adjusted rates using demographic and social variables. RESULTS: We included 4,624 patients from 5 autonomous communities and representing a population of 1,723,216 inhabitants. The adjusted prevalence rate was 18.5% (95% CI 17.3-19.7], with differences between sentinel networks. Women showed higher adjusted rates than men: 18.5 vs. 14.3%. The highest prevalence rate was observed in people aged 85 and older (45.3%); prevalence rates vary depending on education level and marital status. CONCLUSIONS:Cognitive impairment is a frequent reason for consultations in primary care. Its prevalence is higher in women and increases exponentially with age. A number of sensitive, validated tools have been proven useful in screening for and confirming cognitive impairment. Using these tools in primary care settings enables early treatment of these patients.
Authors: Carolina Pinazo-Clapés; Sacramento Pinazo-Hernandis; Alicia Sales Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-11-28 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Cristina García; Lucrecia Moreno; Mónica Alacreu; Francisco J Muñoz; Luis A Martínez Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-10-09 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Eva Calderón-Rubio; Javier Oltra-Cucarella; Beatriz Bonete-López; Clara Iñesta; Esther Sitges-Maciá Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-12-09 Impact factor: 3.390