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Augmented reality (AR) apps, in which the virtual and real world are combined, can recreate instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and are therefore promising to measure cognition needed for IADL in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) both in the clinic and in the home settings. The primary aim of this study was to distinguish and classify healthy controls (HC) from participants with AD pathology in an early AD stage using an AR app. The secondary aims were to test the association of the app with clinical cognitive and functional tests and investigate the feasibility of at-home testing using AR. We furthermore investigated the test-retest reliability and potential learning effects of the task. The digital score from the AR app could significantly distinguish HC from preclinical AD (preAD) and prodromal AD (proAD), and preAD from proAD, both with in-clinic and at-home tests. For the classification of the proAD group, the digital score (AUCclinic_visit = 0.84 [0.75–0.93], AUCat_home = 0.77 [0.61–0.93]) was as good as the cognitive score (AUC = 0.85 [0.78–0.93]), while for classifying the preAD group, the digital score (AUCclinic_visit = 0.66 [0.53–0.78], AUCat_home = 0.76 [0.61–0.91]) was superior to the cognitive score (AUC = 0.55 [0.42–0.68]). In-clinic and at-home tests moderately correlated (rho = 0.57, p < 0.001). The digital score was associated with the clinical cognitive score (rho = 0.56, p < 0.001). No learning effects were found. Here we report the AR app distinguishes HC from otherwise healthy Aβ-positive individuals, both in the outpatient setting and at home, which is currently not possible with standard cognitive tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Life in rural and urban areas differs in regard to social support and health care. Our aim was to examine the association between nursing home placement and survival of patients with dementia living in urban vs. rural areas. Methods: We performed a longitudinal cohort study of patients with dementia at time of diagnosis (n = 58 154) and at first follow‐up (n = 21 522) including patients registered from 2007 through 2014 in the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem). Descriptive statistics are shown. Odds ratios with 95% CI are presented for nursing home placement and hazard ratios for survival analysis. Results: In age‐ and sex‐adjusted analyses, patients living in urban areas were more likely to be in nursing homes at the time of dementia diagnosis than patients in rural areas (1.49, 95% CI: 1.29–1.73). However, there were no differences in rural vs urban areas in either survival after dementia diagnosis (urban: 0.99, 0.95‐1.04, intermediate: 1.00, 0.96–1.04), or nursing home placement at first follow‐up (urban: 1.00, 0.88–1.13; intermediate: 0.95, 0.85–1.06). Conclusion: Persons with dementia living in rural areas are less likely to live in a nursing home than their urban counterparts at the time of dementia diagnosis, but these differences disappear by the time of first follow‐up. Differences in access to nursing homes between urban and rural settings could explain these findings. Results should be considered in the future healthcare decisions to ensure equality of health care across rural and urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) has shifted the burden of management towards primary care (PC). Our aim is to compare diagnostic process and management of AD in PC and specialist care (SC). Design: cross-sectional study. Subjects: a total of, 9,625 patients diagnosed with AD registered 2011-14 in SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Registry. Methods: descriptive statistics are shown. Odds ratios are presented for test performance and treatment in PC compared to SC, adjusted for age, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and number of medication. Results: a total of, 5,734 (60%) AD patients from SC and 3,891 (40%) from PC. In both, 64% of patients were women. PC patients were older (mean age 81 vs. 76; P < 0.001), had lower MMSE (median 21 vs. 22; P < 0.001) and more likely to receive home care (31% vs. 20%; P < 0.001) or day care (5% vs. 3%; P < 0.001). Fewer diagnostic tests were performed in PC and diagnostic time was shorter. Basic testing was less likely to be complete in PC. The greatest differences were found for neuroimaging (82% in PC vs. 98% in SC) and clock tests (84% vs. 93%). These differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for MMSE and demographic characteristics. PC patients received less antipsychotic medication and more anxiolytics and hypnotics, but there were no significant differences in use of cholinesterase inhibitors between PC and SC. Conclusion: primary and specialist AD patients differ in background characteristics, and this can influence diagnostic work-up and treatment. PC excels in restriction of antipsychotic use. Use of head CT and clock test in PC are areas for improvement in Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The causes of death in dementia are not established, particularly in rarer dementias. The aim of this study is to calculate risk of death from specific causes for a broader spectrum of dementia diagnoses. Design Cohort study. Setting Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem), 2007-2012. Participants Individuals with incident dementia registered in SveDem (N = 28,609); median follow-up 741 days. Observed deaths were 5,368 (19%). Measurements Information on number of deaths and causes of mortality was obtained from death certificates. Odds ratios for the presence of dementia on death certificates were calculated. Hazard ratios ( HRs) and 95% confidence intervals ( CIs) were calculated using Cox hazards regression for cause-specific mortality, using Alzheimer's dementia ( AD) as reference. Hazard ratios for death for each specific cause of death were compared with hazard ratios of death from all causes ( P-values from t-tests). Results The most frequent underlying cause of death in this cohort was cardiovascular (37%), followed by dementia (30%). Dementia and cardiovascular causes appeared as main or contributory causes on 63% of certificates, followed by respiratory (26%). Dementia was mentioned less in vascular dementia (VaD; 57%). Compared to AD, cardiovascular mortality was higher in individuals with VaD than in those with AD ( HR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.64-2.02). Respiratory death was higher in individuals with Lewy body dementia ( LBD, including Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, HR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.71-2.71), and the risk of respiratory death was higher than expected from the risk for all-cause mortality. Participants with frontotemporal dementia were more likely to die from external causes of death than those with AD ( HR = 2.86, 95% CI = 1.53-5.32). Conclusion Dementia is underreported on death certificates as main and contributory causes. Individuals with LBD had a higher risk of respiratory death than those with AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: We aimed to study whether there are differences between dementia disorders and the use of anti-dementia drugs and antipsychotics (neuroleptics) in a large population of dementia patients. Methods: Information about dementia disorders was obtained from the national Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) 2007-2010 (n = 7,570). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between dementia disorders and the use of anti-dementia drugs and antipsychotics, after adjustment for age, sex, residential setting, living alone, MMSE score and number of other drugs (a proxy for overall co-morbidity). Results: More than 80% of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 86% of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients used anti-dementia drugs. Women were more likely than men to be treated with cholinesterase inhibitors. A higher MMSE score was positively associated with the use of cholinesterase inhibitors, but negatively associated with NMDA receptor antagonists and antipsychotics. Use of antipsychotics was 6% overall; however, it was 16% in DLB patients with an adjusted odds ratio of 4.2 compared to AD patients. Conclusion: Use of anti-dementia drugs in AD was in agreement with Swedish guidelines. However, use of antipsychotics in DLB patients was high, which might be worrying given the susceptibility of DLB patients to antipsychotics. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the dementia diagnostic process and drug prescription for persons with dementia (PWD) with different socioeconomic status (SES). Register-based cohort study. This study included 74,414 PWD aged ≥65 years from the Swedish Dementia Register (2007–2018). Their data were linked with the Swedish Longitudinal Integrated Database for Health Insurance and Labor Market Studies (2006–2017) to acquire the SES information 1 year before dementia diagnosis. Education and income—2 traditional SES indicators—were divided into 5 levels. Outcomes comprised the dementia diagnostic examinations, types of dementia diagnosis, diagnostic unit, and prescription of antidementia drugs. Binary logistic regression was performed to evaluate socioeconomic inequalities. Compared to PWD with the lowest educational level, PWD with the highest educational level had a higher probability of receiving the basic diagnostic workup [odds ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.29], clock test (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.24) and neuroimaging (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.09-1.39). Compared with PWD in the lowest income quintile, PWD in the highest income quintile presented a higher chance of receiving the basic diagnostic workup (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.26-1.46), clock test (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.28-1.52), blood analysis (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.06-1.39), Mini-Mental State Examination (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.26-1.70), and neuroimaging (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.18-1.44). PWD with higher education or income had a higher likelihood of obtaining a specified dementia diagnosis or being diagnosed at a memory clinic. SES presented no association with prescription of antidementia medication, except for the association between education and the use of memantine. Higher education or income was significantly associated with higher chance of receiving dementia diagnostic examinations, a specified dementia diagnosis, being diagnosed at a memory clinic, and using memantine. Socioeconomic inequalities in dementia diagnostic process and prescription of memantine occurred among PWD with different education or income levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both aortic stenosis (AS) and COVID-19 affect the morbidity and mortality burden among older adults. The aim of the study was to examine whether aortic stenosis (AS) affects the prognosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection and whether COVID-19 affects AS prognosis, in a cohort of older adults hospitalized with and without COVID-19. Observational study. Patients admitted to 9 geriatric clinics in Stockholm from March 2020 to November 2021. AS and COVID-19 diagnoses were identified by electronic health records; the outcomes were mortality at 30 days and any time during a median follow-up of 630 days. The associations between AS, COVID-19, and mortality were assessed by using Royston-Parmar models adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and admission waves. Among 28,974 patients, 85 had concomitant AS and COVID-19, 529 had only AS, and 5033 had only COVID-19. Both at 30 days and at any time, as compared to patients without, concomitant AS and COVID-19 subjects had a higher mortality rate (438.4 per 100 py, 95% CI 296.2-648.8, and 72.9, 95% CI 53.7-99.0, respectively) and a higher death risk (adjusted HR 5.5, 95% CI 3.7-8.2; and 2.8, 95% CI 2.1-3.9). AS patients presented increased mortality HR both in the presence and absence of COVID-19 at 30 days (1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4; and 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2, respectively) and at any time (1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.1; 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7, respectively). AS was a significant mortality risk factor, independent of concomitant COVID-19. Careful AS management should always be pursued, even in acute and post-acute phases of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To explore the association between prestroke mobility dependency and dementia on functioning and mortality outcomes after stroke in patients>65 years of age. Design Longitudinal cohort study based on SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Registry and Riksstroke, the Swedish Stroke Registry. Participants A total of 1689 patients with dementia >65 years of age registered in SveDem and suffering a first stroke between 2007 and 2014 were matched with 7973 controls without dementia with stroke. Measurements Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for intrahospital mortality, and functioning and mortality outcomes at 3 months were calculated. Functioning included level of residential assistance (living at home without help, at home with help, or nursing home) and mobility dependency (independent, needing help to move outdoors, or needing help indoors and outdoors). Results Prestroke dependency in activities of daily living and mobility were worse in patients with dementia than controls without dementia. In unadjusted analyses, patients with dementia were more often discharged to nursing homes (51% vs 20%; P < .001). Mortality at 3 months was higher in patients with dementia (31% vs 23% P < .001) and fewer were living at home without help (21% vs 55%; P < .001). In adjusted analyses, prestroke dementia was associated with higher risk of 3-month mortality (OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.18–1.52), requiring a higher level of residential assistance (OR 4.07; 3.49–.75) and suffering from more dependency in relation to mobility (OR 2.57; 2.20–3.02). Patients with dementia who were independent for mobility prestroke were more likely to be discharged to a nursing home compared with patients without dementia with the same prestroke mobility (37% vs 16%; P < .001), but there were no differences in discharge to geriatric rehabilitation (19% for both; P = .976). Patients, who moved independently before stroke, were more often discharged home (60% vs 28%) and had lower mortality. In adjusted analyses, prestroke mobility limitations were associated with higher odds for poorer mobility, needing more residential assistance, and death. Conclusions Patients with mobility impairments and/or dementia present a high burden of disability after a stroke. There is a need for research on stroke interventions among these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We aimed to (1) study factors that determine the use of invasive procedures in the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with dementia and (2) determine whether the use of invasive procedures was associated with their better survival. Design Cohort study based on patients registered in the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem), 2007–2012. Median follow-up time was 228 days. Setting Patients diagnosed with dementia in specialist memory clinics and primary care units in Sweden. Participants A total of 525 patients with dementia who suffered AMI (mean age 89 years, 54% women). Measurements Information on AMI and use of invasive procedures (coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention) was obtained from Swedish national health registers. Binary logistic regression was applied to study associations of patients’ characteristics with the use of invasive procedures; odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Survival was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier curves; log-rank test was used to compare survival of patients who received an invasive procedure versus those who did not receive it. Cox regression was applied to study association of the invasive procedures with all-cause mortality; hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were calculated. Results One hundred ten patients (21%) with dementia received an invasive procedure in the management of AMI. After multivariate adjustment, lower age and higher global cognitive status were associated with the use of invasive procedures. The invasively managed patients survived longer ( P = .001). The use of invasive procedures was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, adjusting for type of AMI and dementia disorder, age, gender, registration unit, history of AMI and comorbidity score (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.21–0.59), or total number of drugs (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.20–0.58). Conclusion Age and cognitive status determine the use of invasive procedures in patients with dementia. This study suggests that the invasive management of AMI has a benefit for survival of patients with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe temporal changes in treatment, care, and short-term mortality outcomes of geriatric patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Observational study. Altogether 1785 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 6744 hospitalized for non–COVID-19 causes at 7 geriatric clinics in Stockholm from March 6 to July 31, 2020, were included. Across admission month, patient vital signs and pharmacological treatment in relationship to risk for in-hospital death were analyzed using the Poisson regression model. Incidence rates (IRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of death are presented. In patients with COVID-19, the IR of mortality were 27%, 17%, 10%, 8%, and 2% from March to July, respectively, after standardization for demographics and vital signs. Compared with patients admitted in March, the risk of in-hospital death decreased by 29% [IRR 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.99] in April, 61% (0.39, 0.26-0.58) in May, 68% (0.32, 0.19-0.55) in June, and 86% (0.14, 0.03-0.58) in July. The proportion of patients admitted for geriatric care with oxygen saturation <90% decreased from 13% to 1%, which partly explains the improvement of COVID-19 patient survival. In non–COVID-19 patients during the pandemic, mortality rates remained relatively stable (IR 1.3%-2.3%). Compared with non–COVID-19 geriatric patients, the IRR of death declined from 11 times higher (IRR 11.7, 95% CI 6.11-22.3) to 1.6 times (2.61, 0.50-13.7) between March and July in patients with COVID-19. Mortality risk in geriatric patients from the Stockholm region declined over time throughout the first pandemic wave of COVID-19. The improved survival rate over time was only partly related to improvement in saturation status at the admission of the patients hospitalized later throughout the pandemic. Lower incidence during the later months could have led to less severe hospitalized cases driving down mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is lacking on how treatment of comorbidities improves outcomes in patients with dementia. In this study, we evaluated temporal changes in the management of comorbidities in relation to survival rates in incident dementia over a 10-year period in Sweden. Observational cohort study. A total of 40,219 patients with recently diagnosed dementia in memory clinics from the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) from 2008 to 2017. In 1-year blocks, pharmacological treatment of dementia and comorbidities in relationship to risk for fractures, major cardiovascular events (MACE), and death were analyzed using Cox models. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIR) of death are presented. After standardization for demographics and comorbidities, the risk of fracture, MACE, and mortality decreased by 16%, 23%, and 28%, respectively, between 2008 and 2016. Each year decreased the risk of fracture by 3% (hazard ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.96–0.99), MACE by 4% (0.96, 0.95–0.97), and death by 5% (0.95, 0.93–0.97). Adjustment for changes in medication use attenuated these associations. Compared with the general population, the risk of death declined by 11%, corresponding to standardized incidence rate ratio, between 2008 and 2016. Over 10 years, a reduction in the short-term risks of fracture, MACE, and death in patients with dementia was associated with changes in drug prescribing practices. These improvements seem to be partly explained by progressive implementation of dementia diagnostic, treatment guidelines, and general management of comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze whether frailty and comorbidities are associated with in-hospital mortality and discharge to home in older adults hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Single-center observational study. Patients admitted to geriatric care in a large hospital in Sweden between March 1 and June 11, 2020; 250 were treated for COVID-19 and 717 for other diagnoses. COVID-19 diagnosis was clinically confirmed by positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test or, if negative, by other methods. Patient data were extracted from electronic medical records, which included Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and were further used for assessments of the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). In-hospital mortality and home discharge were followed up for up to 25 and 28 days, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression models adjusted for age and sex were used. Among the patients with COVID-19, in-hospital mortality rate was 24% and home discharge rate was 44%. Higher age was associated with in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.05 per each year, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01‒1.08) and lower probability of home discharge (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95‒0.99). CFS (>5) and CCI, but not HFRS, were predictive of in-hospital mortality (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.02‒3.65 and HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.02‒1.58, respectively). Patients with CFS >5 had a lower probability of being discharged home (HR 0.38, 95% CI 0.25‒0.58). CCI and HFRS were not associated with home discharge. In general, effects were more pronounced in men. Acute kidney injury was associated with in-hospital mortality and hypertension with discharge to home. Other comorbidities (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung diseases, chronic kidney disease and dementia) were not associated with either outcome. Of all geriatric patients with COVID-19, 3 out of 4 survived during the study period. Our results indicate that in addition to age, the level of frailty is a useful predictor of short-term COVID-19 outcomes in geriatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective To assess all-cause mortality patients with dementia treated with typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs (APDs). Design Registry-based cohort study. Setting and participants A total of 58,412 patients diagnosed with dementia and registered in the Swedish Dementia Registry were included in the study. Of the study sample, 2526 of the patients were prescribed APDs. Of these, 602 patients were prescribed typical APDs and 1833 patients were prescribed atypical APDs. Ninety-one patients were prescribed both typical and atypical APDs. Measurements All-cause mortality based on Swedish Cause of Death Register. Adjusted hazard ratios of mortality were calculated according to class of APDs (typical or atypical) prescribed. Final models were adjusted for age at dementia diagnosis, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, living arrangement, and Mini-Mental State Examination. Results In the adjusted models, use of APDs at the time of dementia diagnosis was associated with increased mortality risk in the total cohort (hazard ratio = 1.4; 95% confidence interval 1.3–1.5). After stratifying for dementia types, increased mortality risks associated with APDs were found in patients with Alzheimer's disease, mixed dementia, unspecified dementia, and vascular dementia. Higher risk for mortality was found with typical APDs in patients with mixed and vascular dementia and with atypical APDs in patients with Alzheimer's disease, mixed, unspecified, and vascular dementia. Furthermore, in patients with Alzheimer's disease who had typical APDs, use lower risk of death emerged in comparison with patients with atypical APDs. Conclusions/Implications Both the use of atypical and typical APDs increased the risk of death in patients with dementia even after adjusting for differences in basic characteristics between groups. Although we cannot rule out the influence of residual confounding, these results would seem to add to studies suggesting caution in APD prescription for patients with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Body mass index (BMI) is used worldwide as an indirect measure of nutritional status and has been shown to be associated with mortality. Controversy exists over the cut points associated with lowest mortality, particularly in older populations. In patients suffering from dementia, information on BMI and mortality could improve decisions about patient care. Objectives: The objective was to explore the association between BMI and mortality risk in an incident dementia cohort. Design: Cohort study based on SveDem, the Swedish Quality Dementia Registry; 2008–2011. Setting: Specialist memory clinics, Sweden. Participants: A total of 11,398 patients with incident dementia with data on BMI (28,190 person-years at risk for death). Main outcome measures: Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for mortality associated with BMI were calculated, controlling for age, sex, dementia type, results from Mini-Mental State Examination, and number of medications. BMI categories and linear splines were used. Results: Higher BMI was associated with decreased mortality risk, with all higher BMI categories showing reduced risk relative to patients with BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 kg/m2, whereas underweight patients (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) displayed excess risk. When explored as splines, increasing BMI was associated with decreased mortality risk up to BMI of 30.0 kg/m2. Each point increase in BMI resulted in an 11% mortality risk reduction in patients with BMI less than 22.0 kg/m2, 5% reduction when BMI was 22.0 to 24.9 kg/m2, and 3% risk reduction among overweight patients. Results were not significant in the obese weight range. Separate examination by sex revealed a reduction in mortality with increased BMI up to BMI 29.9 kg/m2 for men and 24.9 kg/m2 for women. Conclusion: Higher BMI at the time of dementia diagnosis was associated with a reduction in mortality risk up to and including the overweight category for the whole cohort and for men, and up to the normal weight category for women. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]