The burden of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia in the Middle East and North Africa region, 1990-2019

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and this progressive neurological disorder is associated with substantial mortality and morbidity. We aimed to report the burden of AD and other types of dementia in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, by age, sex and sociodemographic index (SDI), for the period 1990-2019. Methods publicly accessible data on the prevalence, death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) because of AD, and other types of dementia, were retrieved from the global burden of disease 2019 project for all MENA countries from 1990 to 2019. Results in 2019, the age-standardised point prevalence of dementia was 777.6 per 100,000 populations in MENA, which was 3.0% higher than in 1990. The age-standardised death and DALY rates of dementia were 25.5 and 387.0 per 100,000, respectively. In 2019, the highest DALY rate was observed in Afghanistan and the lowest rate was in Egypt. That same year, the age-standardised point prevalence, death and DALY rates increased with advancing age and were higher for females of all age groups. From 1990 to 2019, the DALY rate of dementia decreased with increasing SDI up to 0.4, then slightly increased up to an SDI of 0.75, followed by a decrease for the remaining SDI levels. Conclusions the point prevalence of AD and other types of dementia has increased over the past three decades, and in 2019, the corresponding regional burden was higher than the global average.

Automated summary

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia with increasing prevalence and burden in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study analyzed data from 1990 to 2019 and found that the prevalence, death rates, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of dementia have increased. Afghanistan had the highest DALY rate, while Egypt had the lowest. The burden of dementia was higher in females and increased with age. The DALY rate of dementia decreased with increasing sociodemographic index but slightly increased at an SDI of 0.75.