Causes of Death in People with Dementia from 2002 to 2015: A Nationwide Study.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is associated with increased mortality. However, it is not clear whether causes of death in people with dementia have changed over time. OBJECTIVE: To investigate if causes of death changed over time in people with dementia compared to the general elderly population. METHODS: We included longitudinal data from nationwide registries on all Danish residents aged≥65 years to 110 years who died between 2002 to 2015. We assessed the annual frequency of dementia-related deaths (defined as a dementia diagnosis registered as a cause of death) and of underlying causes of death in people registered with dementia compared to the general elderly population. RESULTS: From 2002 to 2015, 621,826 people died, of whom 103,785 were diagnosed with dementia. During this period, the percentage of dementia-related deaths increased from 10.1% to 15.2% in women, and from 6.3% to 9.5% in men in the general elderly population. From 2002 to 2015, dementia became the leading, registered underlying cause of death in people diagnosed with dementia. Simultaneously, a marked decline in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular deaths was observed in people with and without dementia. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate if the causes of death change over time in people diagnosed with dementia compared with the general elderly population. The increase in the registration of dementia as an underlying cause of death could reflect increasing awareness that dementia is fatal.

Dementia increases mortality beyond effects of comorbid conditions: A national registry-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mortality is known to be markedly increased in people with dementia. However, the association between multiple chronic conditions and mortality in dementia is not well clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of somatic and psychiatric diseases on mortality in dementia compared with the general elderly population. METHODS: Using a cohort study design, nationwide registry data from 2006 to 2015 on dementia and psychiatric and somatic comorbidities defined by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were linked. Impact of chronic conditions was assessed according to mortality rate ratios (MRRs) in all Danish residents aged ≥65 years with and without dementia. RESULTS: Our population comprised 1,518,917 people, of whom 114,109 people were registered with dementia. The MRRs was 2.70 (95% confidence interval 2.68, 2.72) in people with dementia after adjusting for sex, age, calendar year, and comorbidities. MRRs increased with higher CCI score, and when comparing people with a similar comorbidity load, MRRs were significantly higher for people with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: The comorbidity load was associated with increased mortality in both people with and without dementia. Mortality in dementia remained increased, even after adjusting for psychiatric and chronic somatic comorbidities. Our findings suggest that dementia disorders alone contribute to excess mortality, which may be further increased by comorbidities.

Stress diagnoses in midlife and risk of dementia: a register-based follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies indicated that stress diagnoses increase the risk of dementia. However, previous results may be biased by confounding, reverse causation and misclassification. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate the association between clinically diagnosed stress in midlife and later dementia risk, while addressing limitations of previous studies. METHODS: The study population was selected from all individuals in Denmark born 1935-1956. Individuals diagnosed with stress in midlife (aged 37-58 years) were matched (1:5) with individuals without stress diagnoses based on sex and birthdate (N = 103,484). Data were retrieved from national registers. Cox regression models were adjusted for socio-demographic factors and different morbidities. RESULTS: We found a 2.20 (95% CI: 1.93-2.50) times higher rate of dementia among individuals with any stress diagnosis registered in midlife compared with no stress diagnosis. Hazard rate ratios of dementia were 1.73 (95% CI: 1.13-2.65) among individuals with acute stress reactions, 2.37 (95% CI: 2.05-2.74) among individuals with adjustment disorders, and 2.20 (95% CI: 1.73-2.80) among individuals with unspecified stress reactions. Individuals with PTSD and other stress reactions had non-significantly elevated rates of dementia. Adjustment for confounding only slightly attenuated the association, and reverse causation did not appear to bias the results substantially. CONCLUSION: Our results support the hypothesis that severe stress in midlife is an important risk factor for dementia. This finding emphasizes the importance of identifying and treating severe stress in midlife to reduce potential detrimental consequences for brain health in later life.

Mortality in Dementia from 1996 to 2015: A National Registry-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether the increased focus on improving healthcare and providing appropriate care for people with dementia has affected mortality. OBJECTIVE: To assess survival and to conduct a time trend analysis of annual mortality rate ratios (MRR) of dementia based on healthcare data from an entire national population. METHODS: We assessed survival and annual MRR in all residents of Denmark ≥65 years from 1996-2015 using longitudinal registry data on dementia status and demographics. For comparison, mortality and survival were calculated for acute ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cancer. RESULTS: The population comprised 1,999,366 people (17,541,315 person years). There were 165,716 people (529,629 person years) registered with dementia, 131,321 of whom died. From 1996-2015, the age-adjusted MRR for dementia declined (women: 2.76 to 2.05; men: 3.10 to 1.99) at a similar rate to elderly people without dementia. The sex-, age-, and calendar-year-adjusted MRR was 2.91 (95%CI: 2.90-2.93) for people with dementia. MRR declined significantly more for acute IHD and cancer. In people with dementia, the five-year survival for most age-groups was at a similar level or lower as that for acute IHD and cancer. CONCLUSION: Although mortality rates declined over the 20-year period, MRR stayed higher for people with dementia, while the MRR gap, compared with elderly people without dementia, remained unchanged. For the comparison, during the same period, the MRR gap narrowed between people with and without acute IHD and cancer. Consequently, initiatives for improving health and decreasing mortality in dementia are still highly relevant.

Declining incidence of dementia: A national registry-based study over 20 years.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the registry-based national time trends in incidence and prevalence rates of dementia from 1996 to 2015. METHODS: We assessed annual incidence and prevalence using longitudinal data from nationwide registries on dementia status and demographics on all residents ≥ 65 years old in Denmark. RESULTS: Our population comprised 2 million people, of whom 152,761 were diagnosed with dementia. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate increased, on average, by 9% annually from 1996 to 2003, followed by a 2% annual decline, while total prevalence increased during the whole period. DISCUSSION: This is the first study to report continuous time trends of incidence and prevalence in an entire national population. The incidence rate has declined steadily since 2003, while the total prevalence is still increasing. Future health care planning on prevention and treatment of dementia should take these findings into account.

Meal induced gut hormone secretion is altered in aerobically trained compared to sedentary young healthy males.

Postprandial insulin release is lower in healthy aerobically trained (T) compared to untrained (UT) individuals. This may be mediated by a lower release of the two incretin hormones [glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)] in T. The aim of this study was to assess and compare gut hormone response and satiety changes after a liquid meal intake in young, healthy T and UT males. Postprandial gut hormone release and subjective feelings of hunger, satiety, fullness and prospective food consumption were assessed before and frequently for the following 3 h after a 200 ml liquid meal (1,260 kJ and 27, 41 and 32 energy % as protein, carbohydrates and fat, respectively) in ten T and ten UT young, healthy male subjects. The insulin and GIP responses were markedly lower in T than UT and correlated during the first 30 min after the liquid meal. Baseline GLP-1 concentration was higher in T versus UT, but the response in the following 3 h after a liquid meal was similar in T and UT. Satiety measures did not differ between groups throughout the test. It is possible that in aerobically T subjects, a lower GIP release is partly responsible for a lower postprandial incretin stimulated insulin secretion.