Incidence of dementia in a Kashmiri migrant population

BACKGROUND: Mishriwala is one of five exclusive clusters of Kashmiri migrants established in 1990 to accommodate Kashmiri Pandit families who left Kashmir valley in the wake of militancy. Mishriwala migrant camp has seen minimal immigration and out-migration since its establishment. In an earlier study we reported on the prevalence of dementia amongst a Kashmiri migrant population. That study was conducted in the migrant camp at Mishriwala, 12 km west of Jammu city, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir State. We have developed standardized study methods and instruments for use in the Kashmiri-speaking population, which we used for screening for dementia during the prevalence study. We now report the results of a 1-year prospective study carried out to find out the incidence of dementia in the same population. AIM: To ascertain the incidence of dementiain the Kashmiri Pandit population aged 60 years and above. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 1-year, prospective, epidemiological study of 186 subjects aged 60 years and above, using cognitive and functional ability screening and clinical evaluation. RESULTS: The incidence of dementia in this population was 5.34 cases per 1000 person-years.