Preventing dementia in Italy: Estimations of modifiable risk factors and public health implications.

Background: Dementia is a major global public health challenge, with over 50 million cases in 2020, projected to reach 152 million by 2050. Effective prevention strategies are needed to reduce the impact of modifiable risk factors associated with dementia, particularly in countries with ageing populations like Italy. The Population Attributable Fraction (PAF) and Potential Impact Fraction (PIF) are key metrics for understanding and reducing dementia cases through targeted interventions.

Identification of dementia and MCI cases in health information systems: An Italian validation study.

Introduction: The identification of dementia cases through routinely collected health data represents an easily accessible and inexpensive method to estimate the prevalence of dementia. In Italy, a project aimed at the validation of an algorithm was conducted.

Methods: The project included cases (patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment [MCI]) recruited in centers for cognitive disorders and dementias and controls recruited in outpatient units of geriatrics and neurology.