A large claims-based study has identified several comorbidity clusters in individuals with dementia, corroborating the notion that comorbid conditions are an important contributor to health outcomes. The complexity of comorbidities calls for a patient-centred approach for care. Importantly, good management of comorbidities can improve quality of life in progressive dementia.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications among old people with major neurocognitive disorder in 2012 and 2017
BMC Geriatrics Open Access 30 June 2022
-
Comorbidities in dementia during the last years of life: a register study of patterns and time differences in Finland
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Open Access 03 May 2021
-
CASEPLUS-SimPat: An Intersectoral Web-Based Case Management System for Multimorbid Dementia Patients
Journal of Medical Systems Open Access 08 February 2020
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Bauer, K., Schwarzkopf, L., Graessel, E. & Holle, R. A claims data-based comparison of comorbidity in individuals with and without dementia. BMC Geriatr. 14, 10 (2014).
Callahan, C. M. et al. Transitions in care for older adults with and without dementia. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 60, 813–820 (2012).
Bynum, J. P. et al. The relationship between a dementia diagnosis, chronic illness, Medicare expenditures, and hospital use. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 52, 187–194 (2004).
Tinetti, M. E., Bogardus, S. T. Jr & Agostini, J. V. Potential pitfalls of disease-specific guidelines for patients with multiple conditions. N. Engl. J. Med. 351, 2870–2874 (2004).
Karlamangla, A. et al. Comorbidity in older adults: nosology of impairment, diseases, and conditions. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 62, 296–300 (2007).
American Geriatrics Society Expert Panel on the Care of Older Adults with Multimorbidity. Patient-centered care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions: a stepwise approach from the American Geriatrics Society. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 60, 1957–1968 (2012).
Schubert, C. C. et al. Comorbidity profile of dementia patients in primary care: are they sicker? J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 54, 104–109 (2006).
Sanderson, M. et al. Co-morbidity associated with dementia. Am. J. Alzheimers Dis. Other Demen. 17, 73–78 (2002).
Leoutsakos, J. M., et al. Effects of general medical health on Alzheimer's progression: the Cache County Dementia Progression Study. Int. Psychogeriatr. 24, 1561–1570 (2012).
Torke, A. M., Schwartz, P. H., Holtz, L. R., Montz, K. & Sachs, G. A. Caregiver perspectives on cancer screening for persons with dementia: “why put them through it?” J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 61, 1309–1314 (2013).
Acknowledgements
C.M.C. has received funding from National Institute on Aging (grants R01 AG034946 and AG024078). C.C.S. has received funding from Veterans Health Administration (grant T-21 NILTC).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Callahan, C., Schubert, C. The complexities of comorbidity in dementia. Nat Rev Neurol 10, 184–186 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2014.46
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2014.46
This article is cited by
-
Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications among old people with major neurocognitive disorder in 2012 and 2017
BMC Geriatrics (2022)
-
Comorbidities in dementia during the last years of life: a register study of patterns and time differences in Finland
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (2021)
-
CASEPLUS-SimPat: An Intersectoral Web-Based Case Management System for Multimorbid Dementia Patients
Journal of Medical Systems (2020)
-
The Changing Profile of Patients in a Geriatric Medicine Led Memory Clinic over 12 Years
The Journal of nutrition, health and aging (2019)
-
Comorbidity Burden of Dementia: A Hospital-Based Retrospective Study from 2003 to 2012 in Seven Cities in China
Neuroscience Bulletin (2017)