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Incidence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in Italy. The ILSA Study
Di Carlo A, Baldereschi M, Amaducci L, Lepore V, Bracco L, Maggi S, Bonaiuto S, Perissinotto E et al.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2002-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To estimate the incidence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) in older Italians and evaluate the relationship of age, gender, and education to developing dementia. Design Cohort incidence study in the context of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Setting Population sample from eight Italian municipalities. Participants A dementia-free cohort of 3,208 individuals (aged 65-84), individuated after a baseline evaluation performed in 1992 / 93, aimed at detecting prevalent cases. Measurements The dementia-free cohort was reexamined in 1995 to identify incident cases. The Mini-Mental State Examination (cutoff 23 / 24) was employed to screen for dementia. Trained neurologists evaluated the individuals who screened positive. Final diagnoses had to meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised criteria for dementia, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for AD, and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision criteria for VaD. Results Before the follow-up examination, 382 individuals had died (232 had reliable information). Of the 2,826 survivors, 2,266 completed the study. Overall, 127 new dementia cases were identified. Average incidence rates per 1,000 person-years were 12.47 (95% confidence interval (CI)=10.23-14.72) for dementia, 6.55 (95% CI=4.92-8.17) for AD, and 3.30 (95% CI=2.14-4.45) for VaD. Both AD and VaD showed age-dependent patterns. Education was protective against dementia and AD. Women carried a significantly higher risk of developing AD (hazard ratio=1.67, 95% CI=1.02-2.75), and men of developing VaD (hazard ratio=2.23, 95% CI=1.06-4.71). Conclusions Incidence of dementia in Italy paralleled that in most industrialized countries. About 150,000 new cases per year are expected. A significant gender effect was evidenced for major dementia subtypes. The burden of VaD, especially in men, offers opportunities for prevention.
Key findings
- Results Before the follow-up examination, 382 individuals had died (232 had reliable information).
- Overall, 127 new dementia cases were identified.
- Women carried a significantly higher risk of developing AD (hazard ratio=1.67, 95% CI=1.02-2.75), and men of developing VaD (hazard ratio=2.23, 95% CI=1.06-4.71).
- A significant gender effect was evidenced for major dementia subtypes.
Why it matters
This Italian cohort study estimated incidence rates of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia, and found that women had a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease while men had a higher risk of vascular dementia. It describes who developed dementia and does not report any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants3,208
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 58 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 60 out of 100.
| 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 longitudinal study following the same 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 | 2002 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 3,208 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 226 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.7 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 14 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 15 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author for the ILSA Working Group holds only 2 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Padua: institution h-index 1,158 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12028245) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 58 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 58 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 60 out of 100. |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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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. 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
Di Carlo, A., Baldereschi, M., Amaducci, L., Lepore, V., Bracco, L., Maggi, S., et al. (2002). Incidence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in Italy. The ILSA Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50006.x
Vancouver
Di Carlo A, Baldereschi M, Amaducci L, Lepore V, Bracco L, Maggi S, et al. Incidence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in Italy. The ILSA Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2002. doi:10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50006.x. PMID: 12028245.
BibTeX
@article{dicarlo2002-12028245,
author = {Di Carlo, A. and Baldereschi, M. and Amaducci, L. and Lepore, V. and Bracco, L. and Maggi, S. and Bonaiuto, S. and Perissinotto, E. and others},
title = {{Incidence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in Italy. The ILSA Study}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50006.x},
pmid = {12028245},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50006.x}
}
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