[The prevalence of XXXX in a population-based study carried out in Granarolo, Ravenna].

@entity303 @entity1 @entity1294 @entity195
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of @entity303 among @entity1 born in the year 1930 or before, who were living in Granarolo, Ravenna province, on December 31, 1991. DESIGN: Population study, carried out in two phases: in the first was phase all @entity1 were administered two screening tests for @entity303 . In the second phase, @entity1 who screened positive underwent detailed clinical and cognitive assessments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) were administered as screening tests. In the second phase the screened-positive subjects underwent a general and neurological examination, and a detailed neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS: Of the 557 @entity1 , 56 were clinically diagnosed as demented. Twenty-nine @entity1 were diagnosed as affected by @entity195 ( @entity195 ) and 14 @entity1 by @entity1294 ( @entity1294 ). The crude prevalence ratios for @entity303 were 9.1% (95% C.I. = 5.29-12.89) for @entity1 and 12.7% (95% C.I. = 8.84-16.6) for @entity1 . The prevalence of all @entity303 , as well as @entity195 , increased steeply every five years of age for both @entity1 and @entity1 up to 90 years of age. @entity1 had higher prevalence of all @entity303 and @entity195 than @entity1 , more evident in the advanced ages. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are in agreement with similar studies carried out in European populations, showing that prevalence of @entity303 increases with increasing age. If we consider that in Italy the oldest (those 80 years and older) are the fastest growing part of the elderly population, we can expect that @entity303 will be a major emerging public health problem, as it is one of the most common diseases in the very elderly and a major cause of disability and mortality.
