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45/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 45 out of 100. Disparities

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Plain-language summary

The prevalence of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in a community was investigated by retrospective analysis of data from a previous community-based study of 170 randomly selected elderly residents aged 65 years or older. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the subjects were reviewed for the specific structural features of idiopathic NPH, i.e. ventricular enlargement and narrow cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space at high convexity and high midline areas. The clinical features of idiopathic NPH, gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, and cognitive impairment, were evaluated on the basis of records of the subjects' neurological examinations, a health questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and Clinical Dementia Rating. Thirteen of the 170 subjects showed lateral ventricular enlargement greater than 0.3 on Evans' index. Five subjects (2.9%) demonstrated both ventricular enlargement and narrow CSF space at the high convexity/midline. All five subjects with these MR imaging signs had cognitive impairment, one had gait disturbance, and one had urinary incontinence. The present study found 2.9% of community-dwelling elderly subjects showed radiological and clinical features consistent with idiopathic NPH.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

The record lists 170 participants. In this small community sample of 170 older Japanese residents, 2.9% had brain imaging signs and clinical features consistent with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus. Reported effect size: 2.9%.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Hiraoka, K., Meguro, K., & Mori, E. (2008). Prevalence of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus in the elderly population of a Japanese rural community. Neurologia medico-chirurgica. https://doi.org/10.2176/nmc.48.197

Vancouver

Hiraoka K, Meguro K, Mori E. Prevalence of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus in the elderly population of a Japanese rural community. Neurologia medico-chirurgica. 2008. doi:10.2176/nmc.48.197. PMID: 18497491.

BibTeX

@article{hiraoka2008-18497491,
  author  = {Hiraoka, K. and Meguro, K. and Mori, E.},
  title   = {{Prevalence of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus in the elderly population of a Japanese rural community}},
  journal = {Neurologia medico-chirurgica},
  year    = {2008},
  doi     = {10.2176/nmc.48.197},
  pmid    = {18497491},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.2176/nmc.48.197}
}

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How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record lists 170 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record reports “2.9%”. A statistically significant result can still be small in daily life.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Five subjects (2.9%) demonstrated both ventricular enlargement and narrow CSF space at the high convexity/midline.

Why it matters

In this small community sample of 170 older Japanese residents, 2.9% had brain imaging signs and clinical features consistent with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus. This is a prevalence finding from one rural community and does not show a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Disparities →

Study details

Participants170
Effect size2.9%
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 45/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurologia medico-chirurgica)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	Neurologia medico-chirurgica: journal h-index 84 (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	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	2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	170 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)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 130 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	2 / 5	6.5 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 1.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	1 / 6	Cited by 2 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	3 / 4	Last-listed author Etsuro Mori: h-index 83 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Tohoku University: institution h-index 880 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter 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 18497491)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	45 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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