SEVERITY OF DEMENTIA AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION IN THE ELDERLY - PREVALENCE DATA FROM AN URBAN AREA IN SWEDEN

This study investigated the severity of dementia in relation to diseas e type and sociodemographic variables. The dementia cases were detecte d with a two-phase study design in a population aged over 74 years in Stockholm. The prevalence of questionable, mild, moderate, and severe dementia was 1.0, 3.1, 5.5, and 2.3 per 100, respectively. Women aged over 84 had the highest prevalence of severe dementia. More severe cas es and a higher institutionalization rate were present for vascular de mentia than for Alzheimer's disease. Fifty-five percent of the demente d subjects but only 3% of the nondemented were institutionalized. The institutionalized demented subjects were affected mostly by moderate-s evere dementia (88.6%), while the noninstitutionalized were affected m ore often by a questionable-mild form (68.3%).