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Survival of Ethnic Chinese With Alzheimer's Disease: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study in Taiwan

Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute

Shih-Pin Chen

Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute

Ker-Neng Lin, PhD

Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei County, Taiwan

Pei-Ning Wang, MD

Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute

Hsiao-Chien Wang, MS

Neurological Institute

Chia-Yih Liu, MD

Department of Psychiatry, Chang Chung University School of Medicine and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Lin-Kou, hcliu{at}vghtpe.gov.tw

Chen-Jee Hong, MD

Department of Psychiatry, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei

Hsiu-Chih Liu

Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute

Survival time and mortality risk factors in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been documented in Western countries, but comparable information on the ethnic Chinese is scarce. We consecutively recruited 159 AD patients and 145 control subjects from the Memory Clinic of Taipei Veterans General Hospital. After admission to the study, each subject received clinical, neuropsychological, and psychiatric evaluation and apolipoprotein E genotyping. Survival status was followed for 5 years. Forty-six AD patients (28.9%) and 3 control subjects (2.1%) died during the 5-year follow-up period. The mean survival time for AD patients was 4.48 years (SD = 0.1 years) after the time of enrollment. Among individuals with AD, those with severe disease, older patients, and those experiencing hallucinations were at greater risk for increased mortality. As expected, AD shortened life expectancy in these patients. The factors found to correlate with a shorter life span may suggest effective health care strategies for AD patients. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:172—177)

Key Words: Alzheimer's disease • survival • risk factor

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 20, No. 3, 172-177 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0891988707301864


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