Abstract:

Introduction :As the health care system of Malaysia improves so does the living age of the Malaysian population. A fall in the mortality rates, better living standards , good nutrition and better medical facilities all predispose to an increase in the proportion of the elderly. As the age population curve skews towards the right there is also an increase in the number of diseases affecting the elderly. The commonest being dementia.

Objective(s) : A cross-sectional study was carried out in Klinik Kesihatan Maharani, one of the largest primary health care centres in Muar. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and distribution of dementia. To identify risk factors that correlate with dementia.

Methods : Convenience sampling was used and using the 95% confidence interval, the minimum sample size required was 307 respondents .The dependent variable was dementia . Elderly Cognitive Assesment Questionnaire (ECAQ) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) were the neuropsychological tests used for this study .All those who scored 6 or below for ECAQ and 3 or more for the CDT which ever was significant were referred to a psychiatrist for further assessment.

Results :There were 313 respondents who participated in this study. The overall prevalence rate of dementia was 13.4% .The prevalence rate increased by fourfold every 10 years from 5.4% (65-74 years) to 28.1% (>75 years).Higher prevalences of dementia were found in female (19.9%), no education background(30.5%),Indians (33.3%), divorce/widowed (21.1%) and those staying in old folks home(69.2%).There was not much difference between smokers as compared to non-smokers and those from urban as compared to from rural areas . 

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