Profile of dementia in a Nigerian community--types, pattern of impairment, and severity rating

Out of 2494 subjects screened in a Nigerian community, 28 patients with dementia were identified. Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed in 18 patients (64.3%), 16 of whom had probable Alzheimer's disease. Eight patients (28.6%) had vascular dementia while one patient each had parkinsonism with dementia and depression with dementia. Patients with Alzheimer's disease were significantly older, predominantly females and illiterates. Cognitive deficit commonly took the form of memory and judgment impairment while financial mismanagement was the most frequent impaired activity of daily living. More than half of the cases had mild disease on severity rating and were comprised mainly of Alzheimer's disease subjects. These results confirm the higher frequency of Alzheimer's disease over the other types as reported in other communities.