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AlzRisk Cohort Detail
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Cohort: Retirement home residents in Japan
Risk Factors:

Introduction to the Cohort
This is a community-based prospective study conducted in the Toyama and Fukushima prefectures in Japan to investigate the involvement of cytokines in AD.

Participants were selected from older adults living in either of two retirement homes in Toyama and Fukishima prefectures in Japan from 1995 - 2001. Participants were evaluated monthly by a neurologist and a geriatrician for the duration of follow-up. Every month, the date of onset was estimated on the basis of cognitive test scores, functional ability, self-reported memory loss, medical record information, and staff observations.

Although Honma et al (2013) described participants as older adults "institutionalized in a nursing home," the setting in Japan that they describe more closely resembles in the United States what is called a retirement home than a nursing home. In further contrast to the United States, in Japan hospitals are the primary site for long-term care delivery (e.g., Ribbe et al., 1997). Furthermore, the incidence of AD in this cohort was similar to the incidence of AD in a U.S. community based study (21.8% of the cohort developed AD over 10 years).

Ethnicity Breakdown
All participants were Japanese.

Diagnosis & Evaluation Methods
For a detailed description of screening protocol and dementia diagnoses, see Honma et al. 2013.

References
Honma T, Hatta K, Hitomi Y, et al. Increased system inflammatory interleukin-β and interleukin-6 during agitation as predictors of Alzheimer's disease. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2013;28:233-241.

Ribbe MB, Ljunggren G, Steel K, et al. Nursing homes in 10 nation: a comparison between countries and settings. Age and Aging 1997; 26-S2:3-12.