Investigation of dementia awareness among stroke patients in China:A cross-sectional study
- Author:
Zhou JING
1
;
Wang YING
;
Zhao JIAYI
;
Chen BAOXIN
;
Liu XUEMEI
;
Fu CHEN
;
Hou XIAOBING
;
Niu HUANMIN
;
Zhang YUNLING
;
Jin XIANGLAN
Author Information
1. Department of Neurology,Dongfang Hospital,Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,Beijing,100078,China
- Keywords:
Stroke;
Dementia;
Cognitive dysfunction;
Public health
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences
2021;8(2):155-160
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective: To provide guidelines for the prevention of post-stroke dementia, we investigated whether stroke patients were aware of post-stroke dementia and their level of dementia-related knowledge. Methods: Five dementia-related questions were designed. A field survey was conducted in a question-and-answer method using the designed questions. The surveys assessed 3000 stroke patients (2 weeks-6 months after stroke attacks) from 14 hospitals/clinical centers in 7 provinces and cities across China. Results: Among 3000 stroke patients, 80.5％had heard of dementia, 39.1％knew that stroke can lead to dementia, 55.7％ believed dementia can be prevented, 50.8％ thought dementia can be cured, and only 8.8％had ever seen a doctor because of memory deterioration. Then, patients were classified into three groups, including a no cognitive impairment (NCI) group, a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group, and a mild dementia (MD) group. Among the MCI and MD groups, only 8.7％ (75/861) and 9.9％ (64/649) of patients, respectively, had ever seen a doctor because of memory deterioration. According to our results, patients with a higher level of cognitive impairment had a lower awareness of dementia (P<.001). Conclusion: The awareness of dementia in stroke patients in China is low, and the consultation rate is even lower. Moreover, patients with a higher level of cognitive impairment have a lower awareness of dementia. To improve public awareness and improve prevention, more emphasis should be put on ed-ucation regarding post-stroke dementia. Routine cognitive function screening should be conducted on stroke patients as an effective way to assess dementia.
