Prevalence of dementias in a cohort of people with intellectual disability and general population – a registry-based study
27th Nordic Congress of Gerontology – Stockholm, June 12-14 2024
David Edvardsson, Anna Axmon, Jimmie Kristensson, Hugo Lövheim, Magnus Sandberg, Emilie Stroh
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Introduction: There are few large registry-based studies comparing disease prevalence among people with intellectual disabilities (ID) compared to general populations, despite older people with ID having more comorbidities and health care utilization. This study aimed to explore differences in prevalence of dementia and age at first diagnosis between people with ID and the general population in Skåne, the southernmost region of Sweden.
Methods: A cohort of people with intellectual disability (n=6 699) and general population (n=888 317) was collected from Skåne Health Care Register for 2014-2021. Dementia diagnoses were based on ICD-10, and relative risks and 95% confidence intervals of having a diagnosis were estimated using Poisson regression. Age differences were explored using linear regression models. All analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0.
Results: Adults (25-44 years) with ID were found more likely to have any diagnosis of dementia (F01-03, G30-31) compared to the general population (RR 44.1, 95% CI 29.8-65.4), and more specifically be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (G30) (RR 132.4, 95% CI 64.3-272.7), unspecified dementia (F03) (RR 132.4, 95% CI 64.3-272.7) as well as other degenerative diseases of the nervous system (G31) (RR 30.4, 95% CI 13.5-68.3). Increased risk for any dementia was found in all age groups except for those 65+. Regardless of diagnosis, people with ID were younger at first diagnosis recorded during the study
period.
Conclusions: The increased risks for dementia diagnoses in people with ID deserve further attention both clinically and in research to clarify diagnostic challenges and clinical assessments as well as to ensure that diagnoses and care are person-centred.
Research group
Associate professor Magnus Sandberg (PI for IDcare)
Associate professor Anna Axmon (PI for the covid follow-up study)
Professor Ulf Gerdtham
Associate professor Jimmie Kristensson
Collaborations
Ass prof Julia Bahner, Lund University, Sweden
Dr Trine Lise Bakken, Oslo University Hospital, Norway [prevalence of schizophrenia]
Dr Petra Björne, City of Malmö, Sweden
Prof Darren Chadwick, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Prof David Edvardsson, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia [dementia]
Prof Kristina Edvardsson, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia [pregnancy outcomes]
Dr Karin Engström, Lund University, Sweden
Dr Hanna Falk Erhag, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Dr Alessandra Grotta, Stockholm University, Sweden
Ass prof Björn Hofvander, Lund University, Sweden
Prof Silke Kern, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Dr Katarina Lauruschkus, Lund University, Sweden
Dr Can Liu, Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Prof Yona Lunsky, University of Toronto, Canada
Ass prof Hugo Lövheim, Umeå University, Sweden [dementia]
Dr Emilie Stroh, Lund University, Sweden [care transitioning] [diabetes]