The dementia and disability project in Thai elderly: rational, design, methodology and early results (original) (raw)

Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Rural Thai Older People, Associated Risk Factors and their Cognitive Characteristics

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal cognition and dementia. A review showed that 10-15% of those with MCI annually progressed to Alzheimer's disease. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with MCI as well as the characteristics of cognitive deficits among older people in rural Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 482 people who were 60 years old and over was conducted in northern Thailand. The assessments were administered by trained occupational therapists using demographic and health characteristics, Mental Status Examination Thai 10, Activities of Daily Living-Thai Assessment Scale, 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic (MoCA-B, Thai version). Results: The mean age of MCI was 68.3 ± 6.82 years, and most had an education ≤4 years. The prevalence of MCI in older people was 71.4% (344 out of 482), and it increased with age. Low education and diabetes mellitus (DM) were the significant risk factors associated with cognitive decline. Older people with MCI were more likely to have an education ≤4 years (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.21-2.51) and DM (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.36) than those who did not. The 3 most common cognitive impairments according to MoCA-B were executive function (86%), alternating attention (33.1%) and delayed recall (31.1%). Conclusion: The prevalence of MCI in older Thai people in a rural area is high compared with that in other countries. The explanation might be due to low education and underlying disease associated with MCI. A suitable program that can reduce the prospects of MCI in rural Thailand is needed.

The Study of Prevalence and Associated Factors of Dementia in the Elderly

2021

Objective: To study the prevalence and related factors of dementia in elderly. Methods: A descriptive study of 295 elderlies was studied in Bangkruai subdistrict, Nonthaburi. According to the definition in Thailand, elderly is people who is older than 60 years old. Tools for this study were MMSE-Thai 2002 for screening dementia and calculating prevalence and general information questionnaires for related factor. Results: The prevalence of dementia in elderly in Bangkruai subdistrict, Nonthaburi was 18 percent. The related factors of dementia in elderly were male sex, high age, low education, diabetes mellitus, no mobile phone, no computer skill, no internet skill, rarely social participation and rarely religion participation. However, factors that had no statistically significant were weight, height, BMI, marital status, occupation, hypertension, dyslipidemia, daily medicine, alcohol consumption, smoking, coffee, exercise, daily television use and family category. Conclusion: The pr...

Etiology of Dementia in Thai Patients

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra

Introduction: Molecular imaging has been developed and validated in Thai patients, comprising a portion of patients in the dementia registry. This should provide a more accurate diagnosis of the etiology of dementia, which was the focus of this study. Methods: This was a multicenter dementia study. The baseline characteristics, main presenting symptoms, and results of investigations and cognitive tests of the patients were electronically collected in the registry. Functional imaging and/or molecular imaging were performed in patients with an equivocal diagnosis of the causes of dementia, especially in atypical dementia or young onset dementia (YOD). Results: There were 454 patients in the study. The mean age of the patients was 78 years, with 60% female. Functional imaging and/or molecular imaging were performed in 57 patients (57/454 patients, 13%). The most common cause of dementia was Alzheimer’s disease (AD; 50%), followed by vascular dementia (VAD; 24%), dementia with Lewy bodi...

University of Dundee Dementia Community Screening Program in District Health Area 11 Phenwan, Tharin; Tawanwongsri, Weeratian; Saengow, Udomsak; Koomhin, Phanit

2020

To estimate the prevalence of dementia among Thai elderly in the upper Southern region of Thailand, we performed a cross-sectional screening of all Thai older people from 2 areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat province: Tambon Baan Thungchon, Tha Sala district, and Moo 6 and 7 from Sichon district, from December 2016 to November 2017. Trained health volunteers identified the participants in their communities and collected data including age, gender, comorbidities, Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) results, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Our sample comprised 773 participants, of which 605 (78.3 %) were from Baan Thungchon area, while 168 were from Moo 6 and Moo 7 of Sichon district. The majority of participants were female (431, 55.7 %). The mean age of the participants was 79 ± 9.1 years, with a minimum age of 60, and a maximum age of 95. Their comorbidities were hypertension (42.9 %), type II diabetic mellitus (33.2 %), dyslipidemia (37.5 %), and osteoarthritis of the knees (35...

Cognitive Impairment and Associated Factors among Older Adults with Diabetes in a Suburban Primary Health Center in Thailand

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders

Introduction: Thailand is a rapidly aging society. The percentage of older adults with diabetes has also been increasing. Since diabetes mellitus is documented as a risk factor for dementia, it is important to address cognitive impairment in older adults with diabetes. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of cognitive impairment among older adults with diabetes in a suburban primary health center in Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 244 diabetic patients aged 60 years or older was conducted in a primary health care unit in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Cognitive function was assessed with the validated Thai version of the Mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Test. Sociodemographic and health characteristic data were obtained. Results: The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 54.5% (133 out of 244). Multivariate logistic regression disclosed that factors significantly associated with cognitive impairment were ages 70–79 years compared t...

Burden of Alzheimers Disease and other Dementiasin Elderly People in Asia A Systematic Analysis for theGlobal Burden of Disease Study in 2019

Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 2021

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive and damaging brain disease of unknown etiology. The goal of this study is to investigate the burden of AD in Asia in 2019. Materials & Methods: All data sources accessible from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study were used to estimate prevalence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years of the Alzheimer's disease and other dementias as well as Alzheimer's disease's attributable risk factors in Asia from 1990 to 2019. We estimated all-cause and cause-specific mortality, Years of Life Lost (YLLs), Years Lived with Disability (YLDs), Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (DALYs) and attributable risks. All estimates were presented as counts and age-standardized rates per 100,000 populations with Uncertainty Intervals (UIs). Results: The highest incidence, prevalence, mortality, burden of disease, YLL and YLD belonged to high-income areas and the lowest to middle-income areas. There is a positive and significant correlation between Human Development Index (HDI) and disease incidence (r=0.319, P<0.05) and the prevalence of the disease (r=0.325, P<0.05). The results revealed a positive and significant correlation between HDI and disease burden (DALY) in women (r=0.325, P<0.05). There is also a positive and significant correlation between HDI and YLD in both sexes (r=0.414, P<0.05). However, no positive and significant correlation was found between HDI and YLL (P>0.05). There incidence of AD in the elderly was positively and significantly related to the mean years of schooling (r=0.428, P<0.05). Also, life expectancy at birth was positively and significantly correlated with the burden of disease (DALY) (r=0.362, P<0.05) and YLL (r=0.317, P<0.05). The results also illustrated a positive and significant correlation between YLD and mean years of schooling (r=0.510, P<0.05) life expectancy at birth (r=0.397, P<0.05) and expected years of schooling (r=0.399, P<0.05). Conclusion: These estimates can be used to guide the elderly care planning and interventions. Hence, policymakers and health care providers need to be informed of these trends to provide appropriate services.

Reference Values of Physical Performance in Thai Elderly People Who Are Functioning Well and Dwelling in the Community

Physical Therapy, 2013

BackgroundBecause the number of elderly people is rapidly increasing, reference values for the physical abilities necessary to independently conduct daily activities are crucial for promoting good health. Although a few studies have reported reference values for functional tests relating to these abilities, all of those values were derived from populations in developed countries, which have baseline demographic and anthropometric characteristics different from those of Thai people.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to describe reference values for 5 physical performance tests for Thai elderly people who were functioning well and dwelling in the community.DesignA cross-sectional design was used in this study.MethodsA total of 1,030 Thai elderly people who were functioning well were cross-sectionally assessed for their physical abilities with 5 functional tests: 10-Meter Walk Test, Berg Balance Scale, Timed “Up & Go” Test, Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test, and Six-Minute Walk Test. Th...

Traditional Thai exercise (Ruesi Dadton) for improving motor and cognitive functions in mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial

Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation

This study determined the effectiveness of a 12-week cycle of Ruesi Dadton (RSD) among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), for improving cognitive and physical performance. Seventy-six participants were included and were divided equally into two groups. A group performed RSD exercise for 60 min, 3 times/wk for 12 weeks, and the control group did not perform RSD exercise. The primary endpoint was cognitive function, as assessed by the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination, verbal fluency (VF) test, and trail making test parts A and B (TMT-A and TMT-B). The secondary endpoints were the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, handgrip, and gait speed results, which were used to evaluate the physical function. There were significant differences in the TMT-B and handgrip scores (P< 0.05) between the two groups. Both groups had improved MoCA scores (P< 0.05) and normal walking speeds (P< 0.01). Additionally, the RSD group showed improved VF test (...