Neurological Sciences
Volume 39, Issue 10, 2018, Pages 1775-1778

Estimating dementia cases in the immigrant population living in Italy (Article)

Canevelli M.* , Lacorte E. , Cova I. , Zaccaria V. , Valletta M. , Agabiti N. , Bruno G. , Bargagli A.M. , Pomati S. , Pantoni L. , Vanacore N.
  • a Department of Human Neuroscience, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, 00185, Italy
  • b National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
  • c Center for Research and Treatment on Cognitive Dysfunctions, “Luigi Sacco” University Hospital, Milan, Italy
  • d Department of Human Neuroscience, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, 00185, Italy
  • e Department of Human Neuroscience, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, 00185, Italy
  • f Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service, Lazio Region, Rome, Italy
  • g Department of Human Neuroscience, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, 00185, Italy
  • h Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service, Lazio Region, Rome, Italy
  • i Center for Research and Treatment on Cognitive Dysfunctions, “Luigi Sacco” University Hospital, Milan, Italy
  • j Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco”, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
  • k National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy

Abstract

Introduction: The phenomenon of dementia among immigrants and ethnic minorities represents an emerging challenge for Western countries. The aim of the present study was to estimate the number of dementia cases among immigrant subjects residing in Italy and in each Italian region to provide pivotal information on the magnitude of such public health issue. Method: The number of immigrant individuals, aged 65 years or older, living in Italy and in the 20 Italian regions was derived by the 2017 data of the National Institute for Statistics. The dementia prevalence rates were taken from the European data provided by the Neurologic Diseases in the Elderly Research Group. The estimated dementia cases were calculated by multiplying the number of immigrants with the age- and sex-specific prevalence rates. Results: Overall, 186,373 older immigrant subjects lived in Italy in January 2017. Nearly 7700 dementia cases were estimated in this population (5022 among women, 2725 among men). When considering each specific Italian region, the number of estimated cases ranged from 19 (Basilicata) to 1500 (Lombardia) with a marked inter-regional variability. Discussion: Our findings indicate that the occurrence of dementia among immigrants and ethnic minorities constitutes a novel but already relevant issue for our healthcare systems. A non-negligible number of immigrant individuals is probably already seeking or might seek help for cognitive disturbances, thus potentially referring to general practitioners and/or to the Italian dementia services. The forecasted increasing magnitude of this phenomenon reinforces the need for tailored and locally oriented initiatives and policies. © 2018, Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

Dementia ethnic minorities Public health immigrants

Index Keywords

immigrant health care planning population health care policy Dementia human sex difference Ethnic Groups statistics and numerical data ethnic group Aged general practitioner groups by age Humans migrant male Emigrants and Immigrants female Aged, 80 and over very elderly prevalence Article major clinical study Community Health Planning age distribution Italy health care system
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85048545319&doi=10.1007%2fs10072-018-3475-2&partnerID=40&md5=aac4486114a6f5d360e32f073529f0c0
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-018-3475-2
ISSN: 15901874
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English