Mortality with dementia: Results from a French prospective community-basedcohort

Despite the magnitude of the problem, little is known about the duration of dementia. Survival and risk factors of mortality with dementia and the imp act of dementia on the risk of death were investigated using the Personnes Agees Quid (PAQUID) prospective population-based cohort study between 1988 and 1998. Statistical models dealing with interval censoring were performed . Among 3,675 participants aged 65 years or older and initially nondemented , 2,923 have been followed up for 8 years. Of these, 281 persons with incid ent dementia were actively diagnosed. The mean age of onset of dementia was 82.3 years. In the total population, the relative risk of dying after deve loping dementia was estimated to be 1.82 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7 7, 2.68) when adjusted for sociodemographic variables and comorbidity. Deat hs from cerebrovascular diseases and respiratory diseases were particularly increased among persons with dementia, compared with those without. The me dian survival time of the persons with dementia was estimated to be 4.5 yea rs. Women with dementia had a longer survival than did men with dementia, p articularly for Alzheimer-type dementia (relative risk = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27 , 0.83). Educational level was not significantly associated with survival i n persons with dementia. These results provide further evidence of the mali gnancy of dementia, which will be a challenge for the 21st century.