Bridging the gap: estimates of undetected dementia in Brazil.
Objective To estimate the proportion of dementia underdiagnosis in Brazil and assess variations by age, sex and macro-economic regions. Methods Diagnosed dementia cases were estimated using Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) data on prescriptions for acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), as a...
| Publicado en: | Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 6; pp. 1 - 5 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Jun2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=195099713&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 195099713 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00020729 AGA jtl: Age & Ageing issn: 00020729 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 55 iid: 6 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 195099713 10.1093/ageing/afag163 ppf: 1 ppct: 4 formats: tig: atl: Bridging the gap: estimates of undetected dementia in Brazil. aug: au: Miguel, Andrew C C Martins-Teixeira, Lucas Aliberti, Marlon J R Brucki, Sonia M D Caramelli, Paulo Laks, Jerson Nitrini, Ricardo Pinho, Pedro J D M Rebello Suemoto, Claudia K Barbosa, Matheus G affil: Department of Psychiatry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Department of Psychiatry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilSocial Responsibility Research Unit São Paulo, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz (HAOC), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Envelhecimento (LIM-66), Serviço de Geriatria, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Department of Neurology, Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit, Medical School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil su: Brazil Health services accessibility Cultural awareness Therapeutics Sex distribution Socioeconomic factors Age distribution Population geography Attitude (Psychology) Attitudes toward mental illness Social stigma Diagnosis of dementia Alzheimer's disease diagnosis Cholinesterase inhibitors Research funding Early diagnosis sug: subj: Health services accessibility Cultural awareness Therapeutics Sex distribution Socioeconomic factors Age distribution Population geography Attitude (Psychology) Attitudes toward mental illness Social stigma Brazil Diagnosis of dementia Alzheimer's disease diagnosis Cholinesterase inhibitors Research funding Early diagnosis keyword: copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society copyrightYear:2026 dementia epidemiology https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag163 inLanguage:en missed diagnosis older people public health publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42248800/ underdiagnosis copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society copyrightYear:2026 dementia epidemiology https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag163 inLanguage:en missed diagnosis older people public health publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42248800/ underdiagnosis ab: Objective To estimate the proportion of dementia underdiagnosis in Brazil and assess variations by age, sex and macro-economic regions. Methods Diagnosed dementia cases were estimated using Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) data on prescriptions for acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), as a proxy for recognised Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases. Estimates were adjusted for the proportion of AD among all dementias, treatment coverage and disease stages. Expected dementia prevalence was derived from national estimates. Underdiagnosis was calculated by comparing diagnosed to expected cases, stratified by sex, age group and region. Uncertainty interval (UI) bounds were calculated applying ±1 SD of the mean Delphi consensus prevalence for each stratum. Estimates were conducted for 2024 and repeated for 2019 and 2022 for pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic comparison. Results The overall proportion of dementia underdiagnosis among individuals aged ≥60 in 2024 was 84.3% (UI: 81.5–86.4). Proportions were higher among men (86.3%, UI: 83.5–88.2) than women (83.0%, UI: 79.9–85.2). Underdiagnosis peaked at 93.2% (UI: 92.3–93.7) in the 60–64-year age group, declined to 78.9% (UI: 78.1–79.6) among 85–89 years, then rose to 86.2% (UI: 85.7–86.7) among those ≥90 years. Proportions were highest in the poorest regions (North, Northeast and Central-West: 93.0%, UI: 91.4–94.1) and lowest in the richest (South and Southeast: 78.3%, UI: 74.3–81.2). Pre-pandemic (2019) underdiagnosis was slightly lower (81.6%, UI: 78.3–84.0) than in 2022 (84.9%, UI: 82.2–86.9) and 2024. Conclusion Dementia underdiagnosis in Brazil is high and unequally distributed, worsening after the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanding diagnostic access is critical to address disparities and improve care. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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