The Epidemiology of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease in Portugal: Estimations of Prevalence and Treatment-Costs

Authors

  • Isabel Santana Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal. Departamento de Neurologia. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal. Consulta de Demência. Serviço de Neurologia. Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
  • Filipa Farinha Serviço de Reumatologia. Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga. Aveiro. Portugal.
  • Sandra Freitas Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal. Centro de Investigação. Núcleo de Estudos e Intervenção Cognitivo Comportamental (CINEICC). Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
  • Vítor Rodrigues Departamento de Epidemiologia e Medicina Preventiva. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
  • Álvaro Carvalho Departamento de Saúde Mental e Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Ciências Médicas. Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Lisboa. Portugal. Programa de Saúde Mental. Direcção Geral de Saúde. Lisboa. Portugal.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.6025

Keywords:

Alzheimer Disease, Cost of Illness, Dementia, Portugal, Prevalence.

Abstract

Introduction: The incidence and prevalence of global dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) increase with age, almost doubling every five years after the sixth decade of life. Demographic aging is a reality in Portugal, being expectable that the number of dementia cases also increases. Even so, dementia-epidemiological data in Portugal is scarce and cost-of-illness studies are almost inexistent. Our aims were to obtain up-to-date information about the prevalence of dementia/ Alzheimer’s disease in Portugal, to estimate the
number of cases effectively diagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease and to determine illness-costs with specific dementia treatment.
Material and Methods: The numbers of age-adjusted prevalence of dementia obtained for Occidental Europe (Alzheimer’s Disease International study), where applied to the resident population in Portugal (2013). Estimations related to diagnosis and treatment-costs were based in data provided by the Intercontinental Marketing Services Health (IMSH) – 2013.
Results: The estimated number of Portuguese people with dementia among those aged ≥ 60 years, is 160287, representing 5.91% of this population-stratum. Knowing Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for 50-70% of all cases, we might conclude there are between 80144 and 112201 patients. According to IMSH-data, 76250 receive anti-dementia drugs and the costs of this kind of medication is 37 M€/year.
Conclusions: As a consequence of the demographic aging, also the number of dementia cases increases. Aparentely, not all Alzheimer’s disease patients receive the recommended medication, suggesting this condition is still under-diagnosed. However, figures indicate a positive progression with an increment of treated cases and a reduction of medication-costs.

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Published

2015-03-30

How to Cite

1.
Santana I, Farinha F, Freitas S, Rodrigues V, Carvalho Álvaro. The Epidemiology of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease in Portugal: Estimations of Prevalence and Treatment-Costs. Acta Med Port [Internet]. 2015 Mar. 30 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];28(2):182-8. Available from: https://www.actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/6025