Year:
Applicant:
Institution:
Email:
Christina.Wolfson@mcgill.ca
Project ID:
121204
Approved Project Status:
Project Summary
The goal of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Neurological Conditions Initiative (CLSA-NCI) is to develop a population based research program within the CLSA and to conduct research on selected neurological conditions, including epilepsy; Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other dementias; Parkinson’s disease (PD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The main two objectives of this project are: 1) to estimate the prevalence of neurological conditions; and 2) to conduct studies to examine risk factors for, and comorbidities associated with, neurological conditions within the CLSA.
Project Findings
We estimated the lifetime prevalence of epilepsy, Parkinsonism/Parkinson’s disease, Stroke/transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis and migraine at the baseline assessment of the CLSA (2011-2015). We found that those individuals with epilepsy, Stroke/transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis or migraine were also more likely to have other physical and psychiatric conditions compared to those who reported none of the neurological conditions. The presence of a neurological disease was associated with only a modest increase in the likelihood of visiting a general practitioner but was associated with a greatly increased likelihood of visiting a medical specialist (up to 68% more likely) or an emergency department (up to 79% more likely) and an overnight hospitalization (up to 108% more likely).
Conclusions: We found striking associations between our neurological diseases and increased comorbidity burdens and health care utilization. These findings are important for informing public policy planning as well as driving avenues for future research. The present study established the CLSA as an important research platform for the study of neurological conditions in an aging general population.
