ABSTRACT
The overall prevalence of organic brain disease in older people is difficult to estimate, although the risk factors have been shown to increase considerably with age. The prevalence of dementia in the general population over the age of 65 years is 2-7% for moderate and severe dementias, with greater variability for mild cases. The prevalence rises exponentially with age, doubling with each successive 5-year period. Studies show that the prevalence of
Table 3.1 Common causes of confusion/delirium in adults with LD
from the general population. Within the LD population, 22% of those aged 65 and over have dementia. This drops to about 12% for those aged 50 and over, which is four times the prevalence for dementia in the age-matched general population.
