STUDIES OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DEMENTIA - COMPARISONS BETWEEN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

By the year 2025, 68% of the world's population aged 65 and above, nea rly 277 million people, will be residing in developing countries. The less industrialized nations have been the least studied to date, and m ay yield significant new information about the etiology and risk facto rs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. Although it is re adily apparent that cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons are desirable, these can be meaningful only if based on comparable methodo logy. In this work we will discuss some general conceptual and methodo logical issues regarding epidemiological studies of dementia in develo ping countries. The topics discussed include community-based screening for dementia, screening instruments and their application in cross-cu ltural studies, steps in standardization of new or modified neuropsych ological tests, and some special considerations in studying uneducated /illiterate populations.