This volume contains the proceedings of the 14th Colloque Medecine et Recher che of the Fondation Ipsen pour la Recherche Therapeutique devoted to Alzhei mers disease. It was held in Paris on May 25, 1998 and dedicated to the epidemi ological study of this dementia, a very important issue because the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimers disease rise exponentially with age. Epidemiological findings not only confirm dementia as a major challenge for the coming years but also contribute defining risk factors, predicting and may be preventing this disease. All these issues have been tackled at the meeting in Paris and in the present book. Y. C. Contents The World-Wide Impact of Dementia. Projections of Prevalance and Costs R. Katzmann and P. J. Fox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Predicting Who Will Develop Alzheimers Disease R. Mayeux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Genetic Factors in Early-and Late-Onset Alzheimers Disease J. Tol, A. J. e. Slooter, and e. M. Van Duijn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Heterogeneity in Alzheimers Disease: Implications for Epidemiology T. S. Radebaugh, M. Ganguli, and Z. S. Khachaturian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The Epidemiology of Alzheimers Disease: The Role of Estrogen in Reducing Risk v. w. Henderson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Inflammation, Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Alzheimers Disease C. H. Kawas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Socio-Demographic Risk Factors for Dementia and Alzheimers Disease in the Paquid Study J. P. Dartigues, e. Helmer, and L. Letenneur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Vascular Disease and Vascular Risk Factors and Dementia M. M. B. Breteler, M. e. Bots, A. Ott, and A. Hofman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Alzheimers Disease: A Review of Cross-Cultural Studies H. C. Hendrie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."