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Impact of socioeconomic status on the prevalence of dementia in an inner city memory disorders clinic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2009

C. Fischer ,
E. Yeung ,
T. Hansen ,
S. Gibbons ,
L. Fornazzari ,
L. Ringer  and
T. A. Schweizer
C. Fischer*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
E. Yeung
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
T. Hansen
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
S. Gibbons
Affiliation:
University College Dublin, Ireland
L. Fornazzari
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Behavioural Neurology, Division of Neurology, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
L. Ringer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
T. A. Schweizer
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Corinne Fischer, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Department of Psychiatry, 17 Cardinal Carter Wing, 17044, Toronto, Ontario, M5B1W8. Phone: +1 416-864-5320; Fax: +1 416-864-5480. Email: fischerc@smh.toronto.on.ca.
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Abstract

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) has been identified as a possible risk factor for the development of dementia, with low SES shown to be associated with a higher prevalence of dementia, increased psychiatric comorbidity and worse baseline cognitive functioning. Few studies have actually looked at the impact of SES within a clinical population using multiple measures of SES and cognition.

Methods: Data on 217 patients seen in an Inner City Memory Disorders Clinic were analyzed with respect to demographic status, clinical status and SES. Correlations were then examined looking at the relationship of SES to clinical variables and neurocognitive status. Regression analysis was undertaken to examine the relative contribution of individual sociodemographic factors to a diagnosis of dementia.

Results: In general, there was wide variation in the sample examined with respect to most measures of SES. Approximately one third (36%) of the sample had a diagnosis of dementia, the mean age was 66.1 years and the mean Mini-mental State Examination score was relatively high (25.4). There was a strong association between age, individual annual income range, education, medical comorbidity and a diagnosis of dementia, with increased age and medical comorbidity being the strongest predictors.

Conclusion: Increased age, low education, high medical comorbidity and low annual income are all associated with a diagnosis of dementia in an inner city setting. Age and medical comorbidity appear to be more strongly associated with a diagnosis of dementia than SES in an inner city setting.

Keywords

Canadasocial classagedincomeriskcognitive function
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 21 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 1096 - 1104
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2009

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