Prevalence of dementia and its association with central nervous system infections among older persons in northern Uganda: cross-sectional community-based study.
BMC Geriatr
; 23(1): 551, 2023 09 11.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37697266
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Dementia is a condition in which there is deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from the usual consequence of biological aging. Few studies have been conducted on the prevalence of dementia and its association with central nervous system (CNS) infections among older persons in African settings, particularly in Uganda. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence of dementia and its association with CNS infections among older persons in Lira District, northern Uganda.METHODS:
This was a cross-sectional community-based study in Lira district northern Uganda. The study was conducted in March 2022 among 434 older persons aged 50 and above years who were selected by multistage sampling. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire supplemented with information from participant's medical records and a brief community screening instrument for dementia. The instrument classifies dementia into unlikely, probable or possible dementia. Data were entered in duplicate into EpiData version 3.0, then transferred to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 for statistical analysis.RESULTS:
Our study found almost one in four (23%) of the older persons in Lira district northern Uganda were suffering from probable or possible dementia. Our study further found that older persons in Lira district northern Uganda with a positive history of central nervous system infections (CNS) had nearly five times higher odds of having probable or possible dementia compared to their counterparts (cOR 4.5; 2.76-7.23; p ≤ 0.001). Being in advanced age of 70 + years (aOR 2.6; 1.6-4.3; p ≤ 0.001), positive history of CNS infection particularly Herpes simplex virus-1 (aOR 5.4; 1.4-20.5; p = 0.013), and chronic headache (aOR 1.9; 1.1-3.1; p = 0.019) were independent predictors of probable or possible dementia among participants in this study. CONCLUSION ANDRECOMMENDATIONS:
Dementia is a common condition among older persons in Lira district northern Uganda with a prevalence of 23% in our study. Older persons with a positive history of CNS infection had higher odd of developing dementia compared to their counterparts. Having advanced age, cerebral malaria, Herpes simplex virus - 1 (HSV-1) infections, and chronic headache were independent predictors for dementia. These results imply that health assessment for the risk of dementia should include screening for history of CNS conditions particularly cerebral malaria, HSV-1 and chronic headache.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Contexto en salud:
3_ND
Problema de salud:
3_malaria
/
3_neglected_diseases
Asunto principal:
Infecciones del Sistema Nervioso Central
/
Malaria Cerebral
/
Trastornos de Cefalalgia
/
Demencia
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Geriatr
Asunto de la revista:
GERIATRIA
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Uganda