Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Pendlebury ST, Rothwell PM.. The Lancet. Neurology, 2009-09-24
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Reliable data on the prevalence and predictors of post-stroke dementia are needed to inform patients and carers, plan services and clinical trials, ascertain the overall burden of stroke, and understand its causes. However, published data on the prevalence and risk factors for pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia are conflicting. We undertook this systematic review to assess the heterogeneity in the reported rates and to identify risk factors for pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia. Methods Studies published between 1950 and May 1, 2009, were identified from bibliographic databases, reference lists, and journal contents pages. Studies were included if they were on patients with symptomatic stroke, were published in English, reported on a series of consecutive eligible patients or volunteers in prospective cohort studies, included all stroke or all ischaemic stroke, measured dementia by standard criteria, and followed up patients for at least 3 months after stroke. Pooled rates of dementia were stratified by study setting, inclusion or exclusion of pre-stroke dementia, and by first, any, or recurrent stroke. Pooled odds ratios were calculated for factors associated with pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia. Findings We identified 22 hospital-based and eight population-based eligible cohorts (7511 patients) described in 73 papers. The pooled prevalence of pre-stroke dementia was higher (14.4%, 95% CI 12.0-16.8) in hospital-based studies than in population-based studies (9.1%, 6.9-11.3). Although post-stroke ( Interpretation After study methods and case mix are taken into account, reported estimates of the prevalence of dementia are consistent: 10% of patients had dementia before first stroke, 10% developed new dementia soon after first stroke, and more than a third had dementia after recurrent stroke. The strong association of post-stroke dementia with multiple strokes and the prognostic value of other stroke characteristics highlight the central causal role of stroke itself as opposed to the underlying vascular risk factors and, thus, the likely effect of optimum acute stroke care and secondary prevention in reducing the burden of dementia. Funding None.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Pendlebury, S. T., & Rothwell, P. M. (2009). Prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(09)70236-4
Vancouver
Pendlebury ST, Rothwell PM. Prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet. Neurology. 2009. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(09)70236-4. PMID: 19782001.
BibTeX
@article{pendlebury2009-19782001,
author = {Pendlebury, S. T. and Rothwell, P. M.},
title = {{Prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis}},
journal = {The Lancet. Neurology},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1016/s1474-4422(09)70236-4},
pmid = {19782001},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(09)70236-4}
}
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.
Key findings
- Background Reliable data on the prevalence and predictors of post-stroke dementia are needed to inform patients and carers, plan services and clinical trials, ascertain the overall burden of stroke, and understand its causes.
- Pooled odds ratios were calculated for factors associated with pre-stroke and post-stroke dementia.
Why it matters
This systematic review examined the prevalence and risk factors for dementia before and after stroke. It aimed to clarify conflicting data to help inform patients, carers, and service planning.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Study designsystematic review
- Participants7,511
- Effect size14.4%; 9.1%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 80/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Lancet. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Lancet Neurology: journal h-index 457 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 7,511 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 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,857 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 97.7 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| 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 | 4 / 6 | Cited by 80 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 366 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Peter Malcolm Rothwell: h-index 152 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19782001) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 80 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
80 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Prevention and risk
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.