Heterogeneity in trajectories of the natural course of dementia in incident dementia cases: the influence of co-morbidity

• Netherlands

Dutch Alzheimer’s Association (Azheimer Nederland)

750000

01-10-2009

60

• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

dementia, natural course of disease, co-morbidity

To study the natural course of dementia and its disease subtypes in a population of newly diagnosed dementia cases, and the influence of co-morbidity on the natural course of the disease. This information will be used to develop prediction rules for the outcome of dementia and the transitional stages in dementia (e.g. institutionalisation). Objectives are: 1) To investigate heterogeneity in trajectories of disease progression, survival, institutionalization, and successful outcome in incident dementia cases, with specific attention given to the influence of the number of chronic co-morbidities and their severity, and distinct well accepted summary scores of comorbidity; 2) To investigate and compare trajectories of disease progression in dementia syndrome and its disease subtypes, right before and after institutionalization and before death for incident dementia cases; 3) To develop prediction rules for prediction of survival, institutionalization, and successful trajectories of the course of dementia from information available at baseline for different time frames since disease onset.

• Basic research