Comparison of the Documented Dementia Diagnoses in German Primary Care with the Prevalence Estimate for 2021

Background A current prevalence estimate predicted the number of people with dementia (PwD) with 1.8 million in 2021. This estimation is based on data from different sources especially from field studies and does not reflect the recognized and documented cases in primary care. We, therefore, aim to compare the prevalence of diagnosed PwD in general practitioner (GP) practices with these estimates of the general population.Methods The number of diagnosed PwD in 946 GP practices with 2.8 million patients in 2021 was compared with the prevalence estimate of the German Alzheimer Society for 83 million inhabitants in Germany. Results Dementia diagnoses were documented less frequently in GP practices compared to the prevalence estimate (1.88% vs 2.16%), especially the age groups 80+years were less likely present in GP practices prevalence.Discussion There is still potential for optimizing dementia diagnostics in primary care, especially in patients 80 or older.

Automated summary

This study compares the prevalence of diagnosed dementia patients in general practitioner practices with the estimated general population. The results show that dementia diagnoses are less frequently documented in GP practices, especially in the age group of 80 years and older.