Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40840983›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Epidemiology and risk factors of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in South and Southeast Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Mantaka Rahman, Ashiqa Tabassum, Sharmin Sultana, Tamal Saha, Md Abu Jaher Nayeem, Israt Jahan, Imran Hasan, Shoma Hayat, Nowshin Papri, Zhahirul Islam

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mantaka RahmanGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Ashiqa TabassumGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sharmin SultanaGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Tamal SahaGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md Abu Jaher NayeemGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Israt JahanGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Imran HasanGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1282-3157
Shoma HayatGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Nowshin PapriGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Zhahirul IslamGut Brain Axis Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh zislam@icddrb.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0935-8079

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) impacts over 55 million individuals worldwide and remains the leading cause of dementia (60-70% of cases). By 2050, South and Southeast Asia are projected to have an older adult population more than double, bearing a major share of Alzheimer's disease burden. This will exert a heavy strain on healthcare systems, particularly in resource-limited countries where support and infrastructure are already stretched. Despite this, no review has yet explored the regional epidemiology and associated risk factors in this context. Thus, this study protocol outlines to synthesise prevailing evidence from these densely populated regions, particularly low- and middle-income nations within South and Southeast Asia.

methodsThis review will include studies that reported epidemiological characteristics including prevalence, age of onset, mortality, and risk factors of AD and related dementias comprising in South and Southeast Asian regions. Studies published in any language from inception to date will be extracted from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE and APA PsycNet, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. We will also search grey literature sources and screen the reference lists of the articles selected for full-text review to identify additional relevant studies. Observational studies including case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional designs reporting desired outcomes will be included and appraised for quality assessment with the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (mNOS). The included articles will be appraised by two independent reviewers, with a third resolving any conflicts. Pooled estimates of prevalence, age of onset and mortality will be analysed using random effect meta-analysis (REML) model. Associated risk factors, including modifiable and non-modifiable will be narratively synthesised. Forest plots will be used to visualise the findings, and heterogeneity across the included studies will be assessed using the ETHICS AND DISSEMINATIONS: The systematic review is focused on the analysis of secondary data from published literature; thus, no ethical approval will be needed. The protocol will follow international standard guidelines, findings will be reported in a reputed journal and disseminated through (inter)national conferences, webinars and key stakeholders to inform policy, research and AD management strategies. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD 420251047105.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseDementiaAsia, SoutheasternHumansMeta-Analysis as TopicPrevalenceResearch DesignRisk FactorsSystematic Reviews as TopicDementiaEPIDEMIOLOGYMeta-AnalysisRisk FactorsSystematic Review

Identifiers

PMID40840983
PMCPMC12374626

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.