Regional variation on the presentation of Alzheimer's disease patients in memory clinics within Europe: data from the ICTUS study.

摘要

This study set out to describe the variations within Europe for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with regards to clinical and socio-demographic features, co-morbidities, drug treatment, and psychosocial care. 1,379 mild to moderate AD subjects from the ICTUS study were clustered into four geographic regions according to WHO-classification of European countries. Northern patients showed the mildest severity of dementia (MMSE: 21.6 +/- 3.7, p< 0.001), received the lowest rate of concomitant psychotropic drug treatment (24.3%, p< 0.001), and appeared to be healthier than patients in the rest of Europe. Western subjects were diagnosed earliest (0.5 +/- 0.9 month, p< 0.001), received the highest rate of formal care (45.0%, p< 0.001), and had the highest rates of antidementia drug treatment (60.4%, p< 0.001). Southern subjects had the shortest education period (5.6 +/- 4.0, p< 0.001), the most severe cognitive decline in MMSE: 19.8 +/- 4.0, Dollars p