Investigation of dementia awareness among stroke patients in China:A cross-sectional study

摘要

Objective:To provide guidelines for the prevention of post-stroke dementia,we investigated whether stroke patients were aware of post-stroke dementia and their level of dementia-related knowledge.Methods:Five dementia-related questions were designed.A field survey was conducted in a questionand-answer method using the designed questions.The surveys assessed 3000 stroke patients(2 weekse6 months after stroke attacks)from 14 hospitals/clinical centers in 7 provinces and cities across China.Results:Among 3000 stroke patients,80.5%had heard of dementia,39.1%knew that stroke can lead to dementia,55.7%believed dementia can be prevented,50.8%thought dementia can be cured,and only 8.8%had ever seen a doctor because of memory deterioration.Then,patients were classified into three groups,including a no cognitive impairment(NCI)group,a mild cognitive impairment(MCI)group,and a mild dementia(MD)group.Among the MCI and MD groups,only 8.7%(75/861)and 9.9%(64/649)of patients,respectively,had ever seen a doctor because of memory deterioration.According to our results,patients with a higher level of cognitive impairment had a lower awareness of dementia(P<.001).Conclusion:The awareness of dementia in stroke patients in China is low,and the consultation rate is even lower.Moreover,patients with a higher level of cognitive impairment have a lower awareness of dementia.To improve public awareness and improve prevention,more emphasis should be put on education regarding post-stroke dementia.Routine cognitive function screening should be conducted on stroke patients as an effective way to assess dementia.