High prevalence of dementia in a Caribbean population.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: People in Caribbean countries are thought to be at particularly high risk for dementia. Basic descriptive epidemiology of dementia is required for populations in the region to determine the validity of this hypothesis. The main objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence, types and severity of dementia among elderly people (>or=55 years old) in an urban area on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, and to determine the gender and age distribution of affected people. METHODS: The population-based Maracaibo Aging Study included 3,657 subjects, all of whom underwent a standardized, in-person interview. 2,438 of these subjects underwent neuropsychological, neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular and nutritional assessment. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of dementia in elderly subjects was 8.04% and was not significantly different for women and men. Alzheimer's disease was the most frequent type of dementia (50%), followed by vascular dementia (27%). Of all cases of dementia, 41.84% were ranked as mild, 30.10% as moderate and 28.06% as severe. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dementia in elderly people from the Caribbean coast of Venezuela is much higher than frequencies previously reported for developing countries.

Total plasma homocysteine values among elderly subjects: findings from the Maracaibo Aging Study.

OBJECTIVES: The present study generated baseline data for total homocysteine (tHcy) in elderly Caribbeans of Hispanic ancestry, residing in Venezuela, their country of origin. DESIGN AND METHODS: 2106 participants in the Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS), older than 55 years, underwent standardized clinical and laboratory assessments, including measurement of plasma tHcy levels, folate, and vitamin B12 in fasting samples. RESULTS: tHcy concentration in the healthy, normative group ranged from 4.1 to 31.8 micromol/L, with a median of 11.5+/-4.7 micromol/L. tHcy level increased with age, was significantly higher in men than in women, and exhibited inverse correlations with folate and vitamin B12. CONCLUSIONS: tHcy levels of the MAS participants were generally higher than levels previously reported for community-dwelling elderly populations from other countries. The normative centile curves for tHcy can be used in disease risk analysis for this population, and possibly for other Hispanic populations residing in the Caribbean.

The Maracaibo Aging Study: population and methodological issues.

The Maracaibo Aging Study is a longitudinal, population-based, one-step multidisciplinary study of age-related diseases, with a particular focus on memory-related disorders, among subjects over 55 years living in a neighborhood of the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. Three phases were scheduled for this study. First, a door-to-door survey was conducted in order to build a registry and to obtain general and sociodemographic characteristics. During the second phase, information regarding changes in the abilities of the subjects was collected. The third phase consisted of a full neuropsychiatric examination, cardiovascular evaluation, nutritional assessment, neuropsychological testing, routine laboratory tests and genetic analysis. 3,657 subjects were surveyed between January and August, 1998. There were more women than men, and the average number of years of formal education was low, particularly among women. The limitations and strengths of the study are discussed.

Relación entre monitoreo ambulatorio de presión arterial de 24 horas y alteraciones en la memoria reciente de adultos mayores de 55 años / Ambulatory blood pressure monitorzation statement with recent memory disturbs in adults oldness than 55 years

Presentamos un grupo poblacional, de coherte transversal que incluyó 402 personas de uno u otro sexo, con edades igual o mayor de 55 años, provenientes de la parroquia Santa Lucía de la ciudad de Maracaibo. Se les practicaron pruebas neuropsicológicas para evaluar memoria reciente: subpruebas de memoria total (MT) y memoria a largo plazo (MLP) del test de recuerdo selectivo de Bushke y Fuld; según los resultados de estas pruebas se clasificaron en dos grupos: con memoria reciente alterada y con memoria reciente normal. También se les práctico determinaciones antropométricas como peso (Kg), talla (m), índice de masa corporal (peso/talla²) según Quetelot. La presión arterial casual (P.A.C) fue determinada por método oscilométrico con Dinamap Critikon, en brazo derecho de paciente sentado, con brazalete adecuado, según la circunferencia bronquial. A todos los pacientes se les colocó un aparato (M.A.P.A) debidamente programado para registros cada 15 minutos de horas de vigilia (6am - 11pm) y cada 30 minutos durante el sueño (11 pm - a 6 am). Obtuvimos los siguientes resultados: 1) las variaciones de la P.A sistólica determinada por M.A.P.A están asociadas con alteraciones de la memoria reciente en mayores de 55 años. 2) Los valores de la P.A sistólica durante el sueño con mejores predictores de alteraciones de la memoria reciente. 3) Las determinaciones de P.A casual no guardaron correlación con trastornos de la memoria. 4) Proponemos la utilización del MAPA en mayores de 55 años para la pesquisa de alteraciones de la función cognitiva temprana