Affiliations: [a] Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | [b] Research Department of Practice and Policy, University College London School of Pharmacy, London, United Kingdom
| [c] Centre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| [d] Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| [e] Clinical Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| [f] Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Prof. Ian CK Wong, Research Department of Practice and Policy, UCL School of Pharmacy,
Mezzanine Floor, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JP, UK. E-mail: i.wong@ucl.ac.uk.
Abstract: Background:Few studies have shown that an increased risk of dementia is associated with diabetes mellitus. Objective:To estimate the prevalence and incidence of dementia in people with diabetes in primary care in the UK. Methods:We conducted a descriptive study using the UK The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. People diagnosed with diabetes from 2000 to 2016 were included in the study. Prevalence and incidence rates of dementia were calculated annually, stratified by age and gender. Results:The prevalence of dementia was 0.424% [95% CI (0.420%–0.427%)] in 2000 and 2.508% [95% CI (2.501%–2.515%)] in 2016. The highest prevalence was in those aged 85+ from 2.9% [95% CI (2.890%–2.974%)] in 2000 to 11.3% [95% CI (11.285%–11.384%)] in 2016. The incidence of dementia increased 3.7 times, from 0.181 cases per 100 persons [95% CI (0.179–0.183)] in 2000 to 0.683 cases per 100 persons [95% CI (0.679–0.686)] in 2016, respectively. Women had a higher prevalence and incidence of dementia than men 3.138% [95% CI (3.127%–3.150%)] versus 2.014% [95% CI (2.006%–2.022%)] and 0.820 [95% CI (0.814–0.826)] versus 0.576 cases per 100 persons [95% CI (0.571–0.580)] in 2016, respectively. Conclusion:There was a trend of increasing prevalence and incidence of dementia in people with diabetes over the period of 2000 to 2016. This study adds to the evidence on dementia prevalence and incidence, particularly in the diabetic population.
