Incidence of dementia in older adults with intellectual disabilities

Dementia may be more common in older adults with intellectual disability (ID) than in the general population. The increased risk for Alzheimer's disease in people with Down syndrome (DS) is well established, but much less is known about dementia in adults with ID who do not have DS. We estimated incidence rates from a longitudinal study of dementia in older adults with ID without DS and compared them to general population rates. 222 participants with ID without DS aged 60 years and older were followed up an average of 2.9 years later to identify those who had declined in functional or cognitive abilities. Those who screened positive had a comprehensive assessment for dementia, diagnosed using ICD 10 and DSM IV criteria. 134 participants who did not have dementia at initial assessment were alive and interviewed at follow up; 21 (15.7%) were diagnosed with dementia. Overall incidence rate for those aged ≥60 was 54.6/1000 person years (95% CI 34.1–82.3). The highest incidence rate (97.8/1000 person years) was in the age group 70–74. Standardised incidence ratio for those aged ≥65 was 4.98 (95% CI 1.62–11.67). Incidence of dementia in older people with intellectual disabilities are up to five times higher than older adults in the general population. Screening may be useful in this population given the high incident rates, particularly as more effective treatments become available. Studies to explore the underlying aetiological factors for dementia associated with intellectual disability could help to identify novel protective and risk factors.

► We did a survey of older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) who do not have Down syndrome.
► We found increased dementia incidence rates compared to the general population.
► This has implications for screening and resource planning for an ageing population with ID.