Introduction. Dementia’s prevalence increases due to population aging. The purpose of this study was to determine the demographic profile of Greek patients with dementia and the differences in management between the urban and rural population. Methods. A cross sectional study was carried out including 161 randomly selected specialists from different regions in Greece who filled in a structured questionnaire relating to patients with dementia, regarding various sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results. A total of 4580 patients (52% males) with dementia were recorded. Mean age was 73.6 years and 31% lived in rural areas. The Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) was used in 87% of cases. In the urban areas the diagnosis of dementia was made in an earlier stage of the disease in comparison to the rural areas . Higher comorbidity and a higher percentage of low education were evident in rural residents , while higher medication usage was observed in urban patients . Conclusions. The results implicate the need for improvement in health care delivery in Greek rural areas and health care professionals’ training to achieve a proper treatment of dementias and increase the quality of life among the elderly habitants of remote areas. 1. Introduction Old age seems to be the main risk factor for dementia [1, 2]. Higher prevalence rates are observed in people over 65 years old showing steadily increasing rates in each following five-year age group. About 14% of people aged 71 and older are affected by dementia, with women demonstrating higher rates in prevalence, but not in incidence [3]. Socioeconomic features [1], low educational level [3–6], cardiovascular comorbidity, and coexistence of other medical conditions increase the prevalence [2, 7] and the mortality of dementia [7] while the quality of life of patients decreases. Moreover, mental disorders often affect patients with dementia [8] and their caregivers [9, 10] influencing even more their diminished quality of life and need for institutionalization. Therefore, neuropsychiatric symptoms and mental disorders of patients with dementia need to be assessed and treated independently [11]. Given the persistent prolongation of life expectancy, the impact of dementia on healthcare systems [1], on families and caregivers [12, 13], and the mortality directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias [1], it is imperative for current epidemiological data to be available to primary and secondary health care systems. A report of Turner et al. showed that general practitioners’ lack of knowledge
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