The Current Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Factors in Individuals Aged 65 and over in Konya City Center of Türkiye

Year 2025, Volume: 35 Issue: 2, 325 - 333, 30.04.2025

Dilara Cari Güngör , Figen Güney , Mehmet Uyar Hasan Küçükkendirci , Tahir Kemal Şahin

https://doi.org/10.54005/geneltip.1522589

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background/Aims: The prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is unknown in many regions of our country. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of AD and its associated factors in Konya city centre located in the Central Anatolia region (Turkey).

Methods: A study population of 240 subjects aged 65 and older were randomly selected from 14 family health centres. A face-to-face procedural interview, neurological and psychiatric tests, including the mini-mental state examination, clock drawing score, basic and instrumental daily life activities, mental status examination, and geriatric depression scale, were performed. Co-morbidities, used drugs, risks and protective factors were questioned.

Results: The average age was 71.5 ± 5.8; 52.5% of them were male, 47.5% were women. The prevalence of AD was found 7.5%; 2.5% of them had mild, and 5% had advanced AD. While AD rates were higher in people who were illiterate, and primary-school graduates, it was lower in people with regular physical and mental activity. More abnormalities were found in general information, reasoning, abstraction, and executive functions in people with AD. As the daily and instrumental life activities deteriorated, the frequency of AD increased. Geriatric depression was higher in the AD group.

Conclusions: Turkey is both a European and an Asian country and the locations of this study are urban areas of Central Anatolian Region. Our prevalence was slightly higher than current data of European countries. The presence of AD was found to be associated with mental state abnormalities, deteriorated daily and instrumental life activities and increased geriatric depression.

Keywords

Cognitive Impairments, Alzheimer's Disease, Prevalance, Related Factors, Daily Living Activities, Geriatric Depression

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