{ "abstract": "Background: Evidence on age at diagnosis of dementia and differentiation of dementia subtypes in Bangladesh is limited. This study aimed to determine age at diagnosis, examine factors associated with dementia subtypes, and evaluate the discriminatory utility of neuroimaging scales in a Bangladeshi clinical population. Methods: The Community Awareness and Research on Early Dementia (CARED) study was a cross-sectional observational study conducted 2019−2024 at a tertiary care centre in Bangladesh. A total of 658 adults presenting with cognitive impairment, undergoing evaluation for suspected dementia were included. Diagnoses were established using DSM-5 criteria by a multidisciplinary team. Patients were categorized into dementia subtypes. Pseudodementia was retained as separate comparator group. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with dementia subtypes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to assess the discriminatory performance of neuroimaging scales. Results: Among 658 patients, Alzheimer’s-related dementia (ARD) accounted for 51.7% of cases. The mean age at diagnosis was significantly higher in ARD compared with non-Alzheimer’s-related dementia (nARD) (67.7 ± 10.8 vs 64.3 ± 11.4 years, P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, nARD was associated with an earlier age at diagnosis by 4.3 years compared with ARD. Vascular dementia was associated with hypertension, OR 4.2 (95% CI 1.1–16.6), P = 0.04, and smoking, OR 13.1 (95% CI 1.6–103.3), P = 0.01. Neuroimaging scales demonstrated variable discriminatory performance. Medial temporal atrophy showed good discrimination for ARD (AUROC 0.752), while Fazekas scores demonstrated good performance for vascular dementia (AUROC 0.838) and mixed dementia (AUROC 0.836). Global cortical atrophy showed moderate discriminatory ability for frontotemporal dementia (AUROC 0.659). Conclusions: Age at diagnosis varied across dementia subtypes in this Bangladeshi clinical cohort, with non-Alzheimer’s diagnosed earlier than Alzheimer’s. Structured MRI visual rating scales showed variable subtype-specific discriminatory performance, suggesting that they may provide adjunctive information for dementia subtype differentiation when interpreted alongside multidisciplinary clinical assessment.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Cardiac Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh", "Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, London, United Kingdom", "Department of Neurology, Combined Military Hospital, Chittagong, Bangladesh", "Department of Microbiology, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh", "Department of Neurology, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh", "Department of Medicine, Chottogram Army Medical College, Chittagong, Bangladesh", "Department of Neuroscience, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia", "Department of Education, Southern Cross University, Sydney, Australia", "Department of Psychiatry, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom", "Department of Psychiatry, Aqidah Healthcare, Dhaka, Bangladesh" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 10, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Redoy Ranjan" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Ghulam Kawnayn" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Md. Abdullah Yusuf" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Mohammad Nur Uddin" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Mim Tanzila Mamun" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Alif Al Mamun" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Shadad Hossain" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Mohammad Sayeed Hassan" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Nafiz Imtiaz" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Maliha Hakim" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/03rqzh05f70xx.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0359109", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "03rqzh05f70xx", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359109", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2738|Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Neuroimaging" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Clinical medicine/Signs and symptoms/Atrophy" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Diagnostic medicine/Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and management" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Diagnostic medicine/Diagnostic radiology/Magnetic resonance imaging" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Cerebrovascular diseases/Vascular dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Neurodegenerative diseases/Alzheimer's disease" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Dementia/Alzheimer's disease" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Dementia/Frontotemporal dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Dementia/Vascular dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Cerebrovascular diseases/Vascular dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Dementia/Alzheimer's disease" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Dementia/Frontotemporal dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Dementia/Vascular dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Neurodegenerative diseases/Alzheimer's disease" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Radiology and imaging/Diagnostic radiology/Magnetic resonance imaging" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Imaging techniques/Diagnostic radiology/Magnetic resonance imaging" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Imaging techniques/Neuroimaging" ] ], "openalex": "W7214372676", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359109&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-09-25", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/03rqzh05f70xx.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0359109", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359109" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:diagnostic radiology", "subfield": "imaging" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:neurology", "subfield": "neurology" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:mental health and psychiatry", "subfield": "psychiatry" } ], "title": "Age at dementia diagnosis, subtype associations, and neuroimaging differentiation in Bangladesh: The CARED study", "title_text": "Age at dementia diagnosis, subtype associations, and neuroimaging differentiation in Bangladesh: The CARED study", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/03rqzh05f70xx", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }