Predictors of Mortality in Dementia: The PRIME Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neurology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Dementia is a terminal illness with known demographic predictors of mortality.
• Limited research exists on symptom changes predicting survival in dementia patients.
• Data on memory clinic patients and antipsychotic medication's impact on mortality are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of mortality in dementia patients.
• To investigate the role of symptom changes over time in dementia patient survival.
• To examine antipsychotic medication's association with mortality in dementia.

Main Methods:

• 970 patients recruited from Australian memory clinics; 779 had dementia.
• Longitudinal data collection over three years on dementia severity, cognition, function, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and medication.
• Mortality data obtained from state registries eight years post-baseline.

Main Results:

• 57.4% of dementia patients died within eight years.
• Older age, male sex, baseline dementia severity, and functional impairment predicted mortality.
• Greater decline in dementia severity and function, polypharmacy, and atypical antipsychotic use predicted earlier mortality.

Conclusions:

• Demographic and diagnostic features predict dementia patient survival.
• Changes in dementia severity and functional impairment over time independently predict mortality.
• Antipsychotic medication use is associated with increased mortality risk in dementia.