Epidemiological Characteristics and Factors Associated Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment among the Elderly in Urban and Rural Areas of Hubei Province

Abstract Objective To investigate the prevalence, influencing factors and population distribution of AD and MCI among residents of Hubei province aged 60 years or over. Methods A cross-sectional study was used for recruitment the subjects. The screened patients with AD and MCI were then selected as patients in a case-control study. Results A total of 4,314 subjects were recruited into the study. The prevalence of AD and MCI was 1.44% and 10.04%, respectively. The prevalence of AD and MCI differed significantly as a function of age and gender (P<0.05). The protective factors for AD and MCI separately included a happy marriage (OR=0.69, 95%CI: 0.36-1.35), etc; and higher education (OR=0.65, 95%CI: 0.55-0.78) etc. The risk factors for AD and MCI separately included infrequent participation in social activities (OR=1.00, 95%CI: 0.60-1.66), etc; and infrequent communication with children (OR=1.35, 95%CI: 1.09-1.69), etc. Conclusion The prevalence of AD aged 60 and over in Hubei province was lower than the national average of 3.06%. The prevalence of MCI was within the range nationally (5.2-23.4%). The influencing factors of AD and MCI were associated with their social connections, lifestyle behaviours and somatic diseases and so on. The elderly people should be encouraged to study and communicate with others,take part in regular physical exercise and choose a healthy lifestyle so as to prevent or slow the decline of cognitive ability.