Burden of neurodegenerative diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2016: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) is experiencing a demographic shift towards rapid aging at a time of political unrest. We aimed to estimate the burden of neurodegenerative disorders and its relationship with sociodemographic index in the EMR countries from 1990 to 2016. METHODS: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016, we calculated country-specific trends for prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALY), years of life lost and years lived with disability (YLD) for Alzheimer's disease/other dementias and Parkinson's disease in the EMR during 1990-2016. RESULTS: In the EMR, the age-standardized prevalence rate of Alzheimer's disease/other dementias and Parkinson's disease was estimated at 759.8/100 000 (95% uncertainty intervals, 642.9-899.9) and 87.1/100 000 (95% uncertainty intervals, 69.8-108.2) people in 2016, demonstrating 0.01% and 42.3% change from 1990, respectively. Neurodegenerative disorders contributed to 5.4% of total DALY and 4.6% of total YLD among the older EMR population (70 years of age or older in 2016). Age-standardized DALY due to Parkinson's disease were strongly correlated with the sociodemographic index level (r = 0.823, P < 0.001). The YLD:DALY ratio of neurodegenerative diseases declined during this period in the low-income but not the high-income EMR countries. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated an increasing trend in the burden of dementias and Parkinson's disease in most EMR countries between 1990 and 2016. With aging of the EMR populations, countries should target the modifiable risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases to control their increasing burden.

High burden of neurological disease in the older general population: results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our objective was to study the association between the presence of a neurological disease and the comorbidity burden as well as healthcare utilization (HCU). METHODS: Using baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), we examined the burden of five neurological conditions. The CLSA is a population-based study of approximately 50 000 individuals, aged 45-85 years at baseline. We used multivariable Poisson regression to identify correlates of comorbidity burden and HCU. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of five neurological diseases is presented: epilepsy, Parkinson's disease/parkinsonism, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, multiple sclerosis and migraine. We found the somatic and psychiatric comorbidity burden to be higher in those individuals with a neurological disease (an 18-45% mean increase in the number of chronic conditions) as compared with the comparison group without a neurological disease, except for Parkinson's disease/parkinsonism. The presence of a neurological disease was associated with only a modest increase in the probability of visiting a general practitioner but was associated with a greatly increased probability of visiting a medical specialist (up to 68% more likely) or an emergency department (up to 79% more likely) and an overnight hospitalization (up to 108% more likely). CONCLUSIONS: We found striking associations between our neurological diseases and increased comorbidity burdens and HCU. These findings are important for informing public policy planning as well as driving avenues for future research. The present study established the CLSA as an important research platform for the study of neurological conditions in an aging general population.

Psychometric properties of the mutuality scale in Swedish dyads with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVES: The 15-item mutuality scale (MS) has been used in several neurological conditions assessing the quality of relationship associations with negative effects of the caregiving situation. The aim of this study was to translate the original MS into Swedish and assess its psychometric properties in Parkinson's disease (PD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following the forward-backward translation method, the scale was evaluated regarding linguistic correctness at a conceptual level and user-friendliness. The scale was filled out by a sample of 50 care dyads where one was having PD. Scale assumptions and scale structure were evaluated using floor/ceiling effect and principal component analyses (PCA) with promax rotation. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and mean inter-item correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The Swedish MS was evaluated as user-friendly and relevant by the participants. The scale demonstrated no floor/ceiling effect and showed high internal consistency (α≥0.93) with a mean inter-item correlation coefficient of ≥0.5. Through the PCA, a two factor solution emerged, which accounted for 67% and 64% of the variance of the MS score by PD-partners and PD-patients, respectively. However, some variables were complex and discarded in the final solution. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide initial support of the Swedish MS as a user-friendly and useful instrument with acceptable psychometric properties even though more research is needed to evaluate the existence of subscales.

Antidepressants and mortality risk in a dementia cohort: data from SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Registry.

BACKGROUND: The association between mortality risk and use of antidepressants in people with dementia is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of antidepressants in people with different dementia diagnoses and to explore mortality risk associated with use of antidepressants 3 years before a dementia diagnosis. METHODS: Study population included 20 050 memory clinic patients from the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) diagnosed with incident dementia. Data on antidepressants dispensed at the time of dementia diagnosis and during 3-year period before dementia diagnosis were obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Cox regression models were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 2 years from dementia diagnosis, 25.8% of dementia patients died. A quarter (25.0%) of patients were on antidepressants at the time of dementia diagnosis, while 21.6% used antidepressants at some point during a 3-year period before a dementia diagnosis. Use of antidepressant treatment for 3 consecutive years before a dementia diagnosis was associated with a lower mortality risk for all dementia disorders and in Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSION: Antidepressant treatment is common among patients with dementia. Use of antidepressants during prodromal stages may reduce mortality in dementia and specifically in Alzheimer's disease.

Restless legs syndrome in patients with Parkinson's disease: a comparative study on prevalence, clinical characteristics, quality of life and nutritional status.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder that can coexist with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the association between these two movement disorders is quite poorly explored and previous findings are controversial in different aspects. OBJECTIVE: To compare prevalence of RLS in Iranian PD population with a matched control group and to investigate the impact of comorbid RLS on quality of life (QoL), nutritional status, and clinical characteristics in PD population. METHODS: This study was conducted on 108 individuals with idiopathic PD (IPD) and 424 matched controls. RLS was diagnosed using the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria. Further assessments were performed on clinical characteristics, PD severity scales, psychiatric features, nutritional status, fatigue, and QoL in PD patients with and without RLS. RESULTS: Restless legs syndrome was significantly more common among the patients with IPD (14.8%) compared to the controls (7.5%) [OR = 2.1 (95% CI: 1.1-4.0)]. IPD subjects with RLS had significantly higher anxiety score [10.1 (SD = 5.1) vs 5.9 (SD = 5.0); P = 0.003], worse nutritional status [23.7 (SD = 2.7) vs 25.4 (SD = 3.7); P = 0.008], and poorer QoL [26.9 (SD = 13.1) vs 17.0 (SD = 13.2); P = 0.006]. The number of positive answers to the IRLSSG diagnostic criteria had significant direct correlation with unpredictability of the off periods and the presence of symptomatic orthostasis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated a higher prevalence of RLS in patients with PD compared to general population. PD patients with RLS suffer from more anxiety, worse nutritional status, and worse QoL. RLS negatively accompanies with psychiatric problems, emotional behaviors, stigma, and cognitive impairment.

Cerebral microbleeds: different prevalence, topography, and risk factors depending on dementia diagnosis­the Karolinska Imaging Dementia Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral microbleeds are thought to represent cerebral amyloid angiopathy when in lobar regions of the brain and hypertensive arteriopathy when in deep and infratentorial locations. By studying cerebral microbleeds, their topography, and risk factors, we aimed to gain an insight into the vascular and amyloid pathology of dementia diagnoses and increase the understanding of cerebral microbleeds in dementia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 1504 patients (53% women; mean age, 63 ± 10 years; 10 different dementia diagnoses) in this study. All patients underwent MR imaging as part of the dementia investigation, and all their clinical parameters were recorded. RESULTS: Among the 1504 patients with dementia, 22% had cerebral microbleeds. Cerebral microbleed topography was predominantly lobar (P = .01) and occipital (P = .007) in Alzheimer disease. Patients with cerebral microbleeds were significantly older (P < .001), were more frequently male (P < .001), had lower cognitive scores (P = .006), and more often had hypertension (P < .001). Risk factors for cerebral microbleeds varied depending on the dementia diagnosis. Odds ratios for having cerebral microbleeds increased with the number of risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, male sex, and age 65 and older) in the whole patient group and increased differently in the separate dementia diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence, topography, and risk factors of cerebral microbleeds vary depending on the dementia diagnosis and reflect the inherent pathology of different dementia diagnoses. Because cerebral microbleeds are seen as possible predictors of intracerebral hemorrhage, their increasing prevalence with an increasing number of risk factors, as shown in our study, may require taking the number of risk factors into account when deciding on anticoagulant therapy in dementia.

Prick test: A survey and comparison between Iranian allergic children and adults

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