Public Health England (PHE) has published a report with findings from an analysis of a sample of anonymised primary care records highlighting the prevalence of diagnosed comorbidities among patients with dementia. The comorbidities considered in the analysis were hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), diabetes, depression, severe mental illness or psychosis, Parkinsonism, epilepsy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. The data set used for the analysis was The Health Improvement Network.
Key findings from the report are as follows:
- Seventy-seven per cent of patients with dementia also had at least one other health condition considered in the study.
- Among patients with dementia, hypertension was the most common comorbidity (44%). The prevalence of diabetes, stroke or TIA, CHD or depression ranged between 17 and 20 per cent, while that of Parkinsonism, COPD or asthma ranged between 9 and 11 per cent.
- The prevalence rates for eight of the 10 comorbidities were higher in patients with dementia than that in the all-patient group. The prevalence of hypertension and asthma was higher in the all-patient group.
- The likelihood of multiple comorbidities was higher in patients with dementia. Twenty-two per cent of patients with dementia had ≥3 comorbidities and 8 per cent had ≥4 comorbidities, compared with 11 and 3 per cent in the all-patient group, respectively.
- A greater number of patients with dementia aged <85 years had ≥2 comorbidities compared with those aged ≥85 years.
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