Home Health One in two Americans will suffer from dementia in their lifetime, as researchers warn the disease is greatly underestimated

One in two Americans will suffer from dementia in their lifetime, as researchers warn the disease is greatly underestimated

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The overall risk of developing dementia is 42 percent. It is 48 percent in women and men have a risk of about 35 percent.

Nearly one in two Americans will develop dementia during their lifetime, according to researchers who say the condition is being vastly underestimated.

A new study by New York University researchers found that the risk of someone developing dementia after age 55 is 42 percent, more than double the risk projected by previous studies.

This translates to almost 1 million more new cases of some form of the disease per year by 2060.

Currently, nearly 8 million Americans suffer from some form of dementia, and about 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

The study authors attribute previous underestimations to unreliable documentation of dementia in medical records and death certificates, undiagnosed symptoms or early-stage cases, and underreporting of the disease in minorities, who are at risk. higher risk but often lack access to reliable care.

They said: ‘Lifetime dementia risk is a critical public health measure that can raise awareness, improve engagement in prevention and inform policymaking…the results highlight the urgent need for policies that improve health aging, with a focus on health equity. ‘

Published in the journal Nature Medicine, the study examined 15,800 adults who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study from 1987 to 2020.

The ARIC is one of the longest-running health studies and collects a wide range of metrics from respondents, including cognitive status.

The overall risk of developing dementia is 42 percent. It is 48 percent in women and men have a risk of about 35 percent.

The above shows the increased risk of developing dementia depending on age.

The above shows the increased risk of developing dementia depending on age.

To measure cognitive abilities, participants underwent questionnaires, cognitive tests, and physical examinations.

The researchers used an algorithm to determine a diagnosis of dementia based on criteria established by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association.

A panel of experts then reviewed the cases and made a final diagnosis of dementia.

Study author Dr. Josef Coresh, founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone, said the team’s study predicts “a dramatic increase in the burden of dementia in the United States in the coming decades.”

There is no cure for dementia, only medications and therapies to control the symptoms.

The overall risk of developing dementia is 42 percent, but it is 48 percent in women. Men have a risk of about 35 percent.

Blacks are also at elevated risk: 44 percent overall versus 41 percent overall among white Americans.

There were 514,000 new cases of dementia among Americans in 2020, but that number will rise to 730,000 in 2030 and 1.03 million in 2060.

For women, the annual incidence is projected to increase from 325,000 in 2020 to 458,000 in 2030 and 640,000 in 2060.

The above shows the risk faced by men (blue line) and women (red line) of developing dementia by age.

The above shows the risk faced by men (blue line) and women (red line) of developing dementia by age.

For men, the rates will increase from 198,000 to 282,000 and 405,000 in 2020, 2030 and 2060, respectively.

People aged 75 to 84 will see the largest increase, rising from 250,000 in 2020 to 487,000 per year in 2060.

While more white people will be diagnosed with dementia between 2020 and 2060, the rate at which cases will increase is highest among African Americans and will triple over the next three decades.

Diagnoses will increase from 60,000 in 2020 to 179,000 per year in 2060.

While the root cause of dementia is still debated, scientists believe the disease is likely the result of an abnormal buildup of proteins (amyloid and tau) in and around brain cells.

In Alzheimer’s patients, amyloid proteins are not effectively cleared from the body and eventually form plaques in the brain.

Additionally, tau proteins detach from neurons and form tangles that cause neuron death.

When neurons die, messages cannot be transmitted as effectively throughout the brain, which scientists believe is what causes thinking difficulties in dementia.

Genetics also plays an important role in the risk of Alzheimer’s, and in 2022 researchers identified 31 new genes that appear to affect processes that play a role in the disease.

Growth estimates previously projected the number of Alzheimer's patients would rise to nearly 13 million by 2050 (illustrated above), but new research from New York University has much higher predictions.

Growth estimates previously projected the number of Alzheimer’s patients would rise to nearly 13 million by 2050 (illustrated above), but new research from New York University has much higher predictions.

Of the genes, one called APOE-e4 has the greatest impact on risk.

Everyone inherits one of the three forms of the APOE gene from their parents (e2, e3 or e4) and scientists have found that having the e4 form maximizes a person’s risk of developing the disease, especially at a younger age. .

African Americans are more likely than other races to have this gene.

In the New York University study, the risk of dementia among people with the APOE-e4 gene ranged from 40 to 60 percent.

However, previous researchers emphasized that this is still a new discovery and that there are other aspects that contribute more to higher risk that need to be addressed.

Dr. Coresh said the expected increase in the disease is partly related to longevity and the fact that people are living longer – especially women – and that nearly 60 million Americans are now over 65 years old.

He added: “The pending population boom in dementia cases poses significant challenges for health policy makers, in particular, who must refocus their efforts on strategies to minimize the severity of dementia cases, as well as plans to provide more health care services for people with dementia. .’

Dr. Coresh also said more needs to be done to address racial inequalities in health care, and that health policies should increase efforts in Black communities to improve education and childhood nutrition, which previous research shows , is beneficial in preventing cognitive decline in the future.

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