The following is a summary of “Risk and sex-specific trends of dementia and stroke in Italy Compared to European and high-income countries and the world: global implications,” published in the February 2024 issue of Neurology by Avan et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to uncover trends and risk factors for dementia, stroke, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) in Italy, boasting the world’s second-oldest population in comparison to European, high-income nations and the global landscape.
They analyzed the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019 estimates on incidence and burden (i.e., disability and death combined) of the three conditions in both sexes, along with the burden attributable to 12 modifiable risk factors and their changes during 1990–2019.
The results showed 186,108 new cases of dementia (with 123,885 occurring in women) and 94,074 new cases of stroke (with 53,572 occurring in women) in Italy (2019). Women experienced a 98% higher crude burden of dementia and a 24% higher natural burden of stroke compared to men. The average age-standardized rate of new dementia cases was 114.7 per 100,000 women and 88.4 per 100,000 men, surpassing rates in Western Europe, the European Union, high-income countries, and globally. Despite decreases in stroke (−45%) and IHD (−17%) from 1990 to 2019 in Italy, the rate of new dementia cases increased by 4% in both sexes. The burden of dementia attributable to tobacco declined by 12.7% in both sexes during the same period, while the combined burden of high blood glucose and high body mass index increased by 25.4%. Similar trends were observed for stroke and IHD.
They concluded that despite reductions in new strokes and IHDs, novel interventions targeting their combined prevention are crucial to curb the rising dementia rates, particularly in women.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-024-12216-4