A 12-year comparison of patients with Alzheimer’s dementia with their informants in eight Asian countries

• Published in: Asian journal of psychiatry Vol. 101; p. 104204
• Main Authors: Jhang, Kai-Ming, Dharmasaroja, Pornpatr A., Senanarong, Vorapun, Dominguez, Jacqueline, Lam, Linda CW, Huo, Zhaohua, Meguro, Kenichi, Kasai, Mari, Shoji, Miwako, Wei, Cuibai, Shim, YongSoo, Prawiroharjo, Pukovisa, Situmeang, Rocksy Fransisca V., Wang, Wen-Fu, Huang, Ling-Chun, Yang, Yuan-Han
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.11.2024
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Asia; Family history; Informant; Living situation; Registration; Uniform Data Set 3.0; Uniform Data Set 3.0; Asia; Registration; Living situation; Alzheimer's disease; Informant; Family history
• ISSN: 1876-2018; 1876-2026; 1876-2026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104204

The number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has increased dramatically in Asia. To update the demographic characteristics of patients with AD and their informants in eight Asian countries and compare them from 12 years prior. The A1–A3 components of the Uniform Dataset (UDS), version 3.0, were administered in Taiwan, Beijing, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. Data were compared with patients with AD in the first registration using the UDS version 1.0 from 2010–2014 in the same regions. A total of 1885 patients with AD and their informants were recruited from 2022 to 2024 and were compared with 2042 patients recruited a decade prior. Each country had its own unique characteristics that changed between both eras. The mean age of the patients and informants was 79.8±8.2 years and 56.5±12.1 years, respectively. Compared with the first registration, the patients were older (79.8 vs 79.0, p=0.002) and had worse global function (mean CDR-SB scores 6.1 vs 5.8, p<0.001); more informants were children (56 % vs. 48 %, p<0.001), and their frequency of in-person visits increased significantly if not living together. A total of 11 %, 4.5 %, 11 %, and 0.4 % of the patients had a reported history of cognitive impairment in their mothers, fathers, siblings, and children, respectively; all percentages, except children, increased significantly over the past decade. The present study reports the heterogeneous characteristics of patients with AD and their informants in Asian countries, and the distinct changes in the past decade. The differences in dementia evaluation and care between developing and developed countries warrant further investigation. •This study reported clinical picture of patients with AD and their informants from 2022 to 2024 and in eight Asian countries.•Compared with a decade ago, the patients were older and had worse global function; more informants were children.•The percentages of the patients’ mothers, fathers, children, and siblings with dementia were 11%, 4.5%, 0.4%, and 11 %.