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Alzheimer disease and mortality: a 15-year epidemiological study
Ganguli M, Dodge HH, Shen C, Pandav RS, DeKosky ST.. Archives of neurology, 2005-05-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Alzheimer disease (AD) is considered a leading cause of death, but few studies have examined the contribution of AD to mortality based on follow-up of representative US cohorts. Objective To examine mortality rates, duration of survival, causes of death, and the contribution of AD to the risk of mortality in an aging community-based cohort, controlling for other predictors. Design Fifteen-year prospective epidemiological study. Mortality rates per 1000 person-years and the population-attributable risk of mortality were determined. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate relative risk of mortality due to AD, adjusting for relevant covariates. Death certificates were abstracted for listed causes of death. Setting A largely blue-collar rural community in southwestern Pennsylvania. Participants A community-based cohort of 1670 adults 65 years and older at study enrollment. Main outcome measure Mortality. Results In the overall cohort, AD was a significant predictor of mortality, with a hazard ratio of 1.4 after adjusting for covariates. The population-attributable risk of mortality from AD was 4.9% based on the same model. Examining the sexes separately, AD increased mortality risk only among women. Death certificates of AD subjects were more likely to list dementia/AD, other brain disorders, pneumonia, and dehydration, and less likely to include cancer. Conclusions Alzheimer disease was responsible for 4.9% of the deaths in this elderly cohort. Alzheimer disease increased the risk of mortality 40% in the cohort as a whole and separately in women but not in men. The mean (SD) duration of survival with AD was 5.9 (3.7) years, and longer with earlier age at onset.
Key findings
- Results In the overall cohort, AD was a significant predictor of mortality, with a hazard ratio of 1.4 after adjusting for covariates.
Why it matters
Following 1,670 adults aged 65 and older in a largely blue-collar rural community in southwestern Pennsylvania for 15 years, this study found that people with Alzheimer disease had a higher risk of death after adjusting for other factors (hazard ratio 1.4), and it estimated that AD accounted for 4.9% of deaths in the cohort. When men and women were analysed separately, the increased risk showed up only in women. Death certificates of people with AD more often listed dementia, other brain disorders, pneumonia and dehydration, and less often cancer. The study is observational and from one community, so it describes an association there; it does not test any treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants1,670
- Effect size4.9%; or 4.9
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2005 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,670 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 296 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 12.9 citations a year over 23 year(s) since 2005 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 29 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 38 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Steven T. DeKosky: h-index 132 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Pittsburgh: institution h-index 1,470 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 15883266) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ganguli, M., Dodge, H. H., Shen, C., Pandav, R. S., & DeKosky, S. T. (2005). Alzheimer disease and mortality: a 15-year epidemiological study. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.62.5.779
Vancouver
Ganguli M, Dodge HH, Shen C, Pandav RS, DeKosky ST. Alzheimer disease and mortality: a 15-year epidemiological study. Archives of neurology. 2005. doi:10.1001/archneur.62.5.779. PMID: 15883266.
BibTeX
@article{ganguli2005-15883266,
author = {Ganguli, M. and Dodge, H. H. and Shen, C. and Pandav, R. S. and DeKosky, S. T.},
title = {{Alzheimer disease and mortality: a 15-year epidemiological study}},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.62.5.779},
pmid = {15883266},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.62.5.779}
}
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