IngentaConnect Delusional disorder in old age and the risk of developing dementi...

Authors: Kørner, Alex¹; Lopez, Ana²; Lauritzen, Lise¹; Andersen, Per²; Kessing, Lars³

Source: Aging and Mental Health, Volume 12, Number 5, September 2008 , pp. 625-629(5)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

Objective: To examine whether very late first-contact delusional disorder carries a risk for later development of dementia. Methods: By linkage of the psychiatric and the somatic nationwide registers of all out- and in-patients with hospital contact in Denmark, we included all 60+ patients with first ever from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 2001 with the index main diagnosis: delusional disorder. First contact osteoarthritis patients as well as the general population were used as controls. A total of 1437 patients with persistent delusional disorder and 7302 patients with osteoarthritis were included. Median follow-up time until first diagnosis of dementia at discharge was 1.87 and 4.40 years, respectively. The probability of getting a dementia diagnosis was estimated using Poisson regression models with dementia as the outcome of interest. Results: Patients with very late first-contact delusional disorder had an 8.14 (95% CI, 6.51; 10.19) times increased rate of subsequently developing dementia compared with very late first contact osteoarthritis patients. Compared with the general population the rate ratio was 5.49 (95% CI, 4.81; 6.26). Conclusion: Very late first-contact delusional disorder increases the risk of subsequently getting a diagnosis of dementia 5-8 times compared with osteoarthritis patients and the general population.

Keywords: old age; psychotic disorder; dementia

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/13607860802343118

Affiliations: 1: Psychogeriatric Unit, Psychiatric Hospital, Hilleroed, Denmark 2: Department of Biostatistics, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark 3: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Delusional disorder in old age and the risk of developing dementia-a nationwide register-based study