THE CONSORTIUM TO ESTABLISH A REGISTRY FOR ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE (CERAD).14. DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL PREDICTORS OF SURVIVAL IN PATIENTS WITHALZHEIMERS

We made followup observations on 1,036 Consortium to Establish a Regis try for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) enrolled in 21 university medical centers in the United States. E valuations were scheduled annually for as long as 7 years; at the time of analysis, there were 332 deaths. The median duration of survival f rom time of entry into CERAD was 5.9 years (95% CI; 5.6 to 6.4 years). Factors independently affecting survival were sex, age, and severity of dementia as measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating scale and the Blessed Scale for activities of daily living. The median survival afte r entry was 5.7 years for men, compared with 7.2 years for women. For men age 70, 75, and 80 years, median survival times were 6.5, 5.5, and 4.4 years, values notably less than those for the general population. Neither race, education, nor marital status significantly affected su rvival. This large nationwide study confirms the fact that AD is assoc iated with shorter survival, particularly in men, subjects age 70 or o lder, patients with greater impairment in daily activities of living, and those with more severe dementia.