Cristina Zurique Sánchez1, Miguel Oswaldo Cadena Sanabria2, Marina Zurique Sánchez3, Paul Anthony Camacho López4, Marina Sánchez Sanabria5, Santiago Hernández Hernández6, Karen Velásquez Vanegas7, Andrea Ustate Valera8. 1. Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Programa de Medicina, Bucaramanga, Colombia. Electronic address: czurique@unab.edu.co. 2. Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander, Clínica Carlos Ardila Lulle-FOSCAL, Departamento de Medicina Interna y Geriatria, Bucaramanga, Colombia; Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia. Electronic address: mcadena341@unab.edu.co. 3. Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Programa de Medicina, Bucaramanga, Colombia. 4. Fundacion Oftalmologia de Santander, Clinica Carlos Ardila Lulle - FOSCAL. Departamento de Investigaciones Clinicas, Bucaramanga, Colombia. 5. Universidad Popular del Cesar, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Programa de Enfermeria, Valledupar, Colombia. 6. Universidad del Magdalena, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Programa de Medicina, Santa Marta, Colombia. 7. Universidad de Cartagena, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Programa de Medicina, Cartagena, Colombia. 8. Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander, Clínica Carlos Ardila Lulle-FOSCAL, Departamento de Medicina Interna y Geriatria, Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Dementia is a growing public health problem. It involves the impairment of several cognitive functions, generating mental and physical disability, and therefore greater functional dependence. There is limited epidemiological information which reveals an approximate prevalence in older adults from Latin America. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of dementia in the older adult population of Latin America, and its distribution according to geographic area and gender. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in databases: PubMed, Ovid, Lilacs, Cochrane, Scielo and Google Scholar, in order to identify studies that estimate the prevalence of dementia in urban and / or rural population over 65 years of age. RESULTS: On February 2018, the literature search yielded 357 publications. The overall prevalence of dementia in the older adult population of Latin America was found to be 11%, prevailing more in female gender and urban people. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dementia in Latin America is higher than registered previously, and even than in other continents.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:Dementia is a growing public health problem. It involves the impairment of several cognitive functions, generating mental and physical disability, and therefore greater functional dependence. There is limited epidemiological information which reveals an approximate prevalence in older adults from Latin America. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of dementia in the older adult population of Latin America, and its distribution according to geographic area and gender. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in databases: PubMed, Ovid, Lilacs, Cochrane, Scielo and Google Scholar, in order to identify studies that estimate the prevalence of dementia in urban and / or rural population over 65 years of age. RESULTS: On February 2018, the literature search yielded 357 publications. The overall prevalence of dementia in the older adult population of Latin America was found to be 11%, prevailing more in female gender and urban people. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dementia in Latin America is higher than registered previously, and even than in other continents.