Home › Research › Caregiving
Incidence and prevalence of dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Study
Fitzpatrick AL, Kuller LH, Ives DG, Lopez OL, Jagust W, Breitner JC, Jones B, Lyketsos C et al.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2004-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To estimate the incidence and prevalence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) cohort. Design Longitudinal cohort study using prospectively and retrospectively collected data to evaluate dementia. Setting Four U.S. communities. Participants There were 3,602 CHS participants, including 2,865 white and 492 African-American participants free of dementia, who completed a cranial magnetic resonance image between 1992 and 1994 and were followed for an average of 5.4 years. Measurements Dementia was classified by neurologist/psychiatrist committee review using neuropsychological tests, neurological examinations, medical records, physician questionnaires, and proxy/informant interviews. Demographics and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype were collected at baseline. Incidence by type of dementia was determined using National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for AD and Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Center's State of California criteria for VaD. Results Classification resulted in 227 persons with prevalent dementia at entry into the study and 480 incident cases during follow-up. Incidence rates of dementia scaled to age 80 were 34.7 per 1,000 person-years for white women, 35.3 for white men, 58.8 for African-American women, and 53.0 for African-American men. Sex differences were not significant within race. Adjusted for age and education, racial differences were only of borderline significance and may have been influenced by ascertainment methodology. Rates differed substantially by educational attainment but were only significant for whites. Those with the APOE epsilon4 allele had an incidence rate at age 80 of 56.4, compared with 29.6 for those without this allele (P Conclusion Sex and racial differences were not found, and VaD was higher than reported in other studies. These data provide new estimates of dementia incidence in a community sample for projection of future burden.
Key findings
- Results Classification resulted in 227 persons with prevalent dementia at entry into the study and 480 incident cases during follow-up.
- Sex differences were not significant within race.
- Rates differed substantially by educational attainment but were only significant for whites.
- Those with the APOE epsilon4 allele had an incidence rate at age 80 of 56.4, compared with 29.6 for those without this allele (P Conclusion Sex and racial differences were not found, and VaD was higher than reported in other studies.
Why it matters
This cohort study estimated the incidence and prevalence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in older adults. It found that those with the APOE epsilon4 allele had a higher incidence rate at age 80, and that rates differed substantially by educational attainment, though this was only significant for whites.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Caregiving →
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants227
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| 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 | 2004 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 227 participants |
| 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 (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 438 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 18.2 citations a year over 24 year(s) since 2004 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 76 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 35 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Corinne S. Dulberg: h-index 25 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 14728627) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Fitzpatrick, A. L., Kuller, L. H., Ives, D. G., Lopez, O. L., Jagust, W., Breitner, J. C., et al. (2004). Incidence and prevalence of dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52058.x
Vancouver
Fitzpatrick AL, Kuller LH, Ives DG, Lopez OL, Jagust W, Breitner JC, et al. Incidence and prevalence of dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2004. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52058.x. PMID: 14728627.
BibTeX
@article{fitzpatrick2004-14728627,
author = {Fitzpatrick, A. L. and Kuller, L. H. and Ives, D. G. and Lopez, O. L. and Jagust, W. and Breitner, J. C. and Jones, B. and Lyketsos, C. and others},
title = {{Incidence and prevalence of dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Study}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52058.x},
pmid = {14728627},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52058.x}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 14.
Later studies that cite this one
76 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Caregiving
Also tagged “prevalence”
1,224 studies in the library carry the topic tag “prevalence”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,224 tagged studies.