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Alzheimer's Disease, Other Dementias, Depression and Pseudo-dementia: Prevalence, Incidence and Three-Year Outcome in Liverpool

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

J. R. M. Copeland ,
I. A. Davidson ,
M. E. Dewey ,
C. Gilmore ,
B. A. Larkin ,
C. Mcwilliam ,
P. A. Saunders ,
A. Scott ,
V. Sharma  and
C. Sullivan
J. R. M. Copeland*
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool Department of Psychiatry and the Institute of Human Ageing
I. A. Davidson
Affiliation:
Royal Liverpool Hospital
B. A. Larkin
Affiliation:
Manchester Higher Training Scheme
C. Mcwilliam
Affiliation:
Psychiatry of Old Age, University of Keele
A. Scott
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool, Department of Psychiatry, Liverpool
V. Sharma
Affiliation:
Walton Hospital, Liverpool
C. Sullivan
Affiliation:
Liverpool General Psychiatric Rotation Scheme, Wirral Health Authority
*
∗PO Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX
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Abstract

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A group of 1070 community-living persons aged 65 and over was assessed using the GMS–agecat package and other interviews at years 0 and 3. Year 3 interviewers were ‘blind’ to the findings at year 0, and the prevalence of organic disorders and depression was very similar in both years. According to the results at year 3, minimum and maximum prevalence figures for dementia at year 0 were 2.4% and 3.8% for moderate to severe and 0.4% and 2.4% for mild or early cases, with a best estimate of 3.5% and 0.8%, or 4.3% overall, divided into: senile, Alzheimer's type 3.3%; vascular 0.7%; and alcohol-related 0.3%. The overall incidence of dementia, clinically confirmed by six-year follow-up, was 9.2/1000 per year (Alzheimer type 6.3, vascular 1.9, alcohol related 1.0). Three years later, 72.0% of those with depressive psychosis and 62.3% of those with depressive neurosis were either dead or had some kind of psychiatric illness. Nearly 60% of milder depressive cases (7.2% of the total sample) had either died or developed a chronic mental illness. The outcome of depressive pseudodementias is equivocal so far. Findings at year 3 provide validation of agecat computer diagnosis against outcome; organic and depression diagnoses are seen to have important implications for prognosis.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 161 , Issue 2 , August 1992 , pp. 230 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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