Introduction: To determine the prevalence of dementia in nursing homes in Spain and to analyze the associated factors in an elderly population in the institutional setting.
Material and methods: We performed a multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study of 852 residents of public, private and state-assisted nursing homes throughout Spain. Dementia was diagnosed according to the DSM-IV-TR clinical criteria. The Hughes Clinical Dementia Rating scale was used to measure global impairment or the global severity of dementia. Sociodemographic, clinical and neuropsychological variables, together with the pharmacological treatments prescribed to the participants, were recorded.
Results: The overall prevalence of dementia was 61.7% (95% CI 58.4-65.1) and that of Alzheimer's disease was 16.9% (95% CI 14.3-19.5). Vascular dementia was found in 7.3% (95% CI 5.5-9.1). Female sex was independently associated with a greater frequency of dementia. The prevalence of dementia increased with age. Only 18.8% (95% CI 15.4-22.3) of the patients diagnosed with dementia received specific treatment for the disorder.
Conclusions: Two-thirds of the elderly persons living in nursing homes in Spain have dementia. Undertreatment of this disease is common. Increased awareness among health care professionals is important for the early diagnosis and appropriate management of dementia, which would represent a radical change in the approach to this disease.