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Dementia in Down syndrome. Untangling the threads
Trumble S.. Australian family physician, 1999-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Despite frequent neuropathological findings, the prevalence of dementia in people with Down syndrome is thought to be no higher than in the general population. The age of onset, however, is approximately two decades earlier. The most important factor in the general practitioner's assessment of a person with this syndrome who appears to be dementing is the exclusion of medical problems that may be masquerading as Alzheimer disease. This article presents an efficient system for the clinical review of people with Down syndrome who are declining in function. The system is also adaptable for use with people who do not have this syndrome.
Key findings
- Despite frequent neuropathological findings, the prevalence of dementia in people with Down syndrome is thought to be no higher than in the general population.
- The age of onset, however, is approximately two decades earlier.
- The most important factor in the general practitioner's assessment of a person with this syndrome who appears to be dementing is the exclusion of medical problems that may be masquerading as Alzheimer disease.
- This article presents an efficient system for the clinical review of people with Down syndrome who are declining in function.
- The system is also adaptable for use with people who do not have this syndrome.
Why it matters
This review notes that dementia prevalence in people with Down syndrome is thought to be no higher than in the general population, though onset is about two decades earlier. It recommends that doctors first rule out other medical problems that can mimic Alzheimer's disease when a person with Down syndrome declines in function.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 29/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, so that was left out: it earned 28 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 29 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Australian family physician) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1999 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.1 citations a year over 29 year(s) since 1999 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Stephen Trumble: h-index 10 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Monash University: institution h-index 1,146 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 9988915) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 28 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 28 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 29 out of 100. |
| Total | 29 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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. This record has no DOI, so the citation leaves it out. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Trumble, S. (1999). Dementia in Down syndrome. Untangling the threads. Australian family physician.
Vancouver
Trumble S. Dementia in Down syndrome. Untangling the threads. Australian family physician. 1999. PMID: 9988915.
BibTeX
@article{trumble1999-9988915,
author = {Trumble, S.},
title = {{Dementia in Down syndrome. Untangling the threads}},
journal = {Australian family physician},
year = {1999},
pmid = {9988915}
}
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