Allen T. C. Lee

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with increased risks of progression to dementia: a 2-year prospective study of 321 Chinese older persons with mild cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND studies have suggested that neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms influence the development of dementia among older adults. But, the results are inconsistent and there is limited information about NP symptoms in population-based samples. OBJECTIVE to explore the association between NP symptoms and risk of cognitive decline in Chinese older persons residing in the community. DESIGN prospective study. SETTING community sample. SUBJECTS a total of 321 community-dwelling Chinese older persons aged 60 or over with mild cognitive impairment participated in the study. METHODS at baseline, each subject was assessed with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Mini-Mental State Examination, list learning and delayed recall, and Category Verbal Fluency Test. Severity of NP symptoms was evaluated with Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Global cognitive status at the end of 2-year study period was determined by CDR. RESULTS at baseline, 40.5% of participants exhibited one or more NP symptoms (NPI total score ≥ 1). Night-time behaviours (22.1%), depression (16.8%), apathy (14.0%) and anxiety (12.8%) were the most common NP symptoms. At the end of 2-year follow-up, 27.5% of participants with depression at baseline developed dementia, compared with 14.8% of those without depression (χ² = 4.90, P= 0.03). Aberrant motor behaviour was also significantly associated with deterioration in cognition (χ² = 5.84, P= 0.02), although it was an infrequent occurrence. On logistic regression analysis, only depression at baseline was shown to be a risk factor for progression to dementia (OR= 2.40, 95% CI 1.05-5.46, P= 0.04). CONCLUSION depression in non-demented older persons may represent an independent dimension reflecting early neuronal degeneration. Further studies should be conducted to assess whether effective management of NP symptoms exerts beneficial effects on cognitive function.

Analysis of trends in emergency department attendances, hospital admissions and medical staffing in a Hong Kong university hospital: 5-year study

BackgroundThe workload of emergency departments (ED) continually changes in response to presentations, overcrowding and availability of expertise and investigations.AimsTo investigate changes in ED presentations and care processes, and the relationship of patient demand and ED staff resources to waiting times and processing times.MethodsRetrospective analysis of prospectively collected administrative data from January 1999 to April 2005 in an emergency department in a university teaching hospital in Hong Kong. All patients attending the emergency department during the study period were included. Monthly attendance data were retrieved and analysed to determine both qualitative and quantitative changes in the patterns of presentation to the ED using prospectively gathered data.ResultsTotal ED attendances decreased by 25% during the study with little seasonal variation. The admission rate and the use of ambulances increased steadily and significantly. Medical patients are increasing proportionately, but trauma patients are decreased in number.ConclusionThere have been major changes in the patterns of ED attendances and ED waiting times over the study period in this teaching hospital ED. Decreasing overall ED numbers are offset by an increasingly elderly population and a more complex case mix. Reducing clinical staff numbers appears to reduce the ED’s capacity to provide timely assessments and care and to function as hospital gatekeepers. Restoring staff numbers to previous levels may improve the quality and timeliness of ED services. It is necessary to refine measures of ED complexity and workload to determine appropriate staffing levels in the future.

Intensity and Types of Physical Exercise in Relation to Dementia Risk Reduction in Community-Living Older Adults

OBJECTIVE To systematically examine the amount and type of physical exercise that might reduce the future risk of dementia in community-living older people. DESIGN Six-year observational study. SETTING All the Elderly Health Centers (EHCs) of the Department of Health in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS A total of 15,589 community-living Chinese aged 65 years and older with no history of stroke, clinical dementia, or Parkinson disease when they completed health assessment at the EHCs in the first 6 months of 2005. MEASUREMENTS Self-reported habitual physical exercise patterns, including the frequency, duration, and type of exercise, at baseline and Year 3 were analyzed. The study outcome was incident dementia in 6 years. Dementia was defined by presence of clinical dementia in accordance with the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems or Clinical Dementia Rating of 1 to 3. RESULTS Both the cognitively stable and incident groups reported exercising a median of 7 days per week and 45 minutes per day at baseline and Year 3. The former practiced aerobic and mind-body exercises more at baseline and Year 3, whereas the latter practiced stretching and toning exercises more. The odds ratio for dementia remained significant for aerobic (0.81; 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.95; P = .01) and mind-body exercises (0.76; 0.63-0.92; P = .004) after excluding participants who developed dementia within 3 years after baseline and adjusting for important potential confounders, such as age, gender, educational level, and physical and psychiatric comorbidities. CONCLUSION Although physical exercise is widely promoted as a nonpharmacological intervention for dementia prevention, not all types of exercise appear to be useful in reducing risk of dementia in older people. Our findings suggest that daily participation in aerobic and mind-body but not stretching and toning exercises might protect community-living older adults from developing dementia.

Lifetime Prevalence and Correlates of Schizophrenia-Spectrum, Affective, and Other Non-affective Psychotic Disorders in the Chinese Adult Population

Lifetime prevalence of psychotic disorders varies widely across studies. Epidemiological surveys have rarely examined prevalences of specific psychotic disorders other than schizophrenia, and the majority used a single-phase design without employing clinical reappraisal interview for diagnostic verification. The current study investigated lifetime prevalence, correlates and service utilization of schizophrenia-spectrum, affective, and other non-affective psychotic disorders in a representative sample of community-dwelling Chinese adult population aged 16-75 years (N = 5719) based on a territory-wide, population-based household survey for mental disorders in Hong Kong. The survey adopted a 2-phase design comprising first-phase psychosis screening and second-phase diagnostic verification incorporating clinical information from psychiatrist-administered semi-structured interview and medical record review to ascertain DSM-IV lifetime diagnosis for psychotic disorders. Data on sociodemographics, psychosocial characteristics and service utilization were collected. Our results showed that lifetime prevalence was 2.47% for psychotic disorder overall, 1.25% for schizophrenia, 0.15% for delusional disorder, 0.38% for psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, 0.31% for bipolar disorder with psychosis, and 0.33% for depressive disorder with psychosis. Schizophrenia-spectrum disorder was associated with family history of psychosis, cigarette smoking and variables indicating socioeconomic disadvantage. Victimization experiences were significantly related to affective psychoses and other non-affective psychoses. Around 80% of participants with any psychotic disorder sought some kind of professional help for mental health problems in the past year. Using comprehensive diagnostic assessment involving interview and record data, our results indicate that approximately 2.5% of Chinese adult population had lifetime psychotic disorder which represents a major public health concern.

Poor Balance as a Noncognitive Predictor of Incident Dementia

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Widened pulse pressure is a potential risk factor for significant cognitive impairment among community-dwelling Chinese younger old people

Hypertension is a risk factor for dementia, but its exact role in contributing to dementia remains unknown. We conducted a community-based retrospective cohort study to examine the association of hypertension and widened pulse pressure (PP) with incident significant cognitive impairment (SCI) in Chinese older people in Hong Kong. A total of 1,925 subjects who were 65 years and older, ethnic Chinese, and community-living, with no history of cerebrovascular accidents or dementia, were recruited. Demographics, medical history, and physical parameters recorded at baseline were retrieved for analysis. Primary outcome was SCI developed in 6 years, which was defined by the presence of clinical dementia, scoring below the cutoff point on the Cantonese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination, and/or a global Clinical Dementia Rating of 1 to 3. Our data showed no difference in the point prevalence of pre-existing hypertension between subjects who remained cognitively stable and those who developed SCI (64.2% versus 65.8%; χ2 test, p = 0.68). However, subjects with incident SCI had a higher baseline PP (70 mmHg versus 66 mmHg; Mann-Whitney U-test, p = 0.03) and a decreasing trend in PP with time. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that PP had a small but significant effect on the risk of SCI among the younger old subjects (OR = 1.02, p = 0.03). Our findings suggested that widened PP might be a risk factor for SCI among the younger old people. Further studies are needed to ascertain the association between hypertension and SCI in the Chinese older population and how widened PP contributes to SCI.

Association of Daily Intellectual Activities With Lower Risk of Incident Dementia Among Older Chinese Adults

Importance Associations between late-life participation in intellectual activities and decreased odds of developing dementia have been reported. However, reverse causality and confounding effects due to other health behaviors or problems have not been adequately addressed. Objective To examine whether late-life participation in intellectual activities is associated with a lower risk of incident dementia years later, independent of other lifestyle and health-related factors. Design, Setting, and Participants A longitudinal observational study was conducted at all Elderly Health Centres of the Department of Health of the Government of Hong Kong among 15 582 community-living Chinese individuals age 65 years or older at baseline who were free of dementia, with baseline evaluations performed January 1 to June 30, 2005, and follow-up assessments performed from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2012. Statistical analysis was performed from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was incident dementia as diagnosed by geriatric psychiatrists in accordance with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, or a Clinical Dementia Rating of 1 to 3. At baseline and follow-up interviews, self-reported information on participation in intellectual activities within 1 month before assessment was collected. Examples of intellectual activities, which were described by a local validated classification system, were reading books, newspapers, or magazines; playing board games, Mahjong, or card games; and betting on horse racing. Other important variables including demographics (age, sex, and educational level), physical and psychiatric comorbidities (cardiovascular risks, depression, visual and hearing impairments, and poor mobility), and lifestyle factors (physical exercise, adequate fruit and vegetable intake, smoking, and recreational and social activities) were also assessed. Results Of the 15 582 individuals in the study, 9950 (63.9%) were women, and the median age at baseline was 74 years (interquartile range, 71-77 years). A total of 1349 individuals (8.7%) developed dementia during a median follow-up period of 5.0 years. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the estimated odds ratio for incident dementia was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.60-0.84; P < .001) for those with intellectual activities at baseline, after excluding those who developed dementia within 3 years after baseline and adjusting for health behaviors, physical and psychiatric comorbidities, and sociodemographic factors. Conclusions and Relevance Active participation in intellectual activities, even in late life, might help delay or prevent dementia in older adults.

Anxiety symptoms predicted decline in episodic memory in cognitively healthy older adults: A 3-year prospective study

Prospective studies on late‐life anxiety disorders suggested that history of anxiety symptoms may be predictive of cognitive decline in old age. However, the relationship between anxiety and cognitive decline is still inconclusive due to heterogeneity in sample and methodology. This study was to explore how baseline anxiety symptoms associated with the change of memory in older people without cognitive impairment over a 3‐year period.