The prevalence and diagnostic rate of dementia: Estimates based on population data and registry linkage

• Main Author: Gjøra, Linda
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English

Dementia is a global public health challenge that causes major psychosocial and economic strain on those affected and on society. The overall aim was to provide prevalence numbers on dementia in Norway and to obtain knowledge on the dementia diagnostic rate. This population-based study took place in the fourth round of the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4), from 2017 to 2019, and was called HUNT4 70+. Persons 70 years and older were invited to an assessment of cognitive function and of function in everyday life. Information from the HUNT4 70+ study was linked to health registries that contained information about diagnoses made by medical doctors in hospital or primary care. In the study they found that in people 70 years and older in Norway the standardised prevalence of dementia was 14.6%. In total, there were 101,118 persons with dementia in Norway in 2020, and the forecasted prevalence is expected to more than the double by 2050 and more than triple by 2100. Another result in the study was that among those with a study diagnosis of dementia in HUNT4 70+, 35.6% had a dementia diagnosis recorded in the health registries. For home dwellers, the diagnostic rate was 19.8%, compared to 66.0% for nursing home residents. Overall, the prevalence of dementia in older adults in Norway is higher than most of the previous estimates upon which nationwide dementia care is based and these up-to-date prevalence figures enable more precise planning for both current health services and future needs. The diagnostic rate of dementia is low in both hospitals and primary care settings. The low diagnostic rate indicates that we need to scale up our dementia assessment and our dementia care.