Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Dementia in Greece

Abstract

Introduction. Dementia’s prevalence increases due to population aging. The purpose of this study was to determine the demographic profile of Greek patients with dementia and the differences in management between the urban and rural population. Methods. A cross sectional study was carried out including 161 randomly selected specialists from different regions in Greece who filled in a structured questionnaire relating to patients with dementia, regarding various sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results. A total of 4580 patients (52% males) with dementia were recorded. Mean age was 73.6 years and 31% lived in rural areas. The Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) was used in 87% of cases. In the urban areas the diagnosis of dementia was made in an earlier stage of the disease in comparison to the rural areas (P=0.013). Higher comorbidity and a higher percentage of low education were evident in rural residents (P<0.001), while higher medication usage was observed in urban patients (P=0.04). Conclusions. The results implicate the need for improvement in health care delivery in Greek rural areas and health care professionals’ training to achieve a proper treatment of dementias and increase the quality of life among the elderly habitants of remote areas.