The Incidence and Characteristics of Stroke in Urban-Dwelling Iranian Women

Background: Population-based data regarding stroke among women are scarce in developing countries. This study was designed to determine whether sex differences exist in stroke incidence, mortality, and recurrence. Methods: The Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study is a population-based cohort study in Iran. For a period of 1 year, all patients with stroke in 3 geographical regions in Mashhad were recruited and then followed up for 5 years. Age- and sex-specific crude incidence rates were standardized to the World Health Organization New World Population. Male-to-female incidence rate ratios were assessed for all age groups and all subtypes of first-ever stroke (FES). Results: The annual crude incidence rate of FES (per 100,000 population) was similar in men (144; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 129-160) and women (133; 95% CI: 119-149). Standardized FES annual incidence rates were 239 (95% CI: 213-267) for men and 225 (95% CI 200-253) for women, both greater than in most western countries. There were no significant differences in stroke recurrence or case-fatality between women and men during early and long-term follow-up. Conclusion: The similar incidence of stroke between men and women highlights the importance of equally prioritizing adequate preventive strategies for both sexes. The greater relative incidence of stroke in women in Mashhad compared with other countries warrants improvement of primary and secondary stroke prevention

A third of community-dwelling elderly with intermediate and high level of Alzheimer\u27s neuropathologic changes are not demented: A meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the bidirectional association between AD pathology and dementia in community-dwelling elderly populations. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and references of the pertinent articles for community/population-based longitudinal cohorts with regular assessment of cognitive status of participants followed by postmortem neuropathology data, with no language and date restrictions, until 20 September 2019. Finally, we retrieved 18 articles with data from 17 cohorts comprising 4677 persons. Dementia was twice as likely in participants with definitive neuropathological indicator for AD compared to those without it: moderate/high Braak and Braak (BB) stages III–VI of neurofibrillary tangles (54 % vs. 26 % in participants with BB stages 0–II), the Consortium to Establish a Registry for AD (CERAD) moderate/frequent neuritic plaques scores (64 % vs. 33 % in participants with CERAD none/infrequent), and National Institute on Aging and the Reagan Institute of the Alzheimer\u27s Association criteria intermediate/high AD probability (52 % vs. 28 % in participants with no/low AD probability). Accordingly, a substantial proportion of community-dwelling elderly people with definitive AD pathology may not develop dementia. Brain reserve or contribution of other factors and pathologies, such as vascular and degenerative pathology to dementia might explain this apparent discrepancy. These findings also suggest caution in equating Alzheimer pathology biomarkers with dementia