More than seven million Americans have some form of dementia, and an estimated 12 million will be diagnosed by 2040.
As the baby boomer generation ages, so will the number of seniors, especially those over 85, who are at increased risk of dementia.
But there is a glimmer of hope.
While The total number of people As the number of people living with dementia is expected to increase due to aging, the rate at which new dementias are being diagnosed is decreasing.
Researchers are now beginning to understand what medical advances, changes in public health awareness, and the rates of chronic diseases that cause dementia are driving home. What you know is effective. A longer trend points it in the right direction.
Between 1988 and 2015, the number of new cases of dementia in the United States and Europe fell by 13 percent, suggesting that fewer new cases are being seen as the elderly population continues to grow, according to new findings from multiple data analyses. .
A study found that a smaller percentage of older people live with dementia compared to people of the same age in previous decades.
The chart above shows the prevalence of dementia – the proportion of people with dementia – from 2000 to 2016. It shows a gradual decline in rates.
People want to improve their personal health and spend more money to do so than ever before.
With that came a generational shift in the way people understand their health, thanks to unlimited access to expert advice and how to take care of themselves to prevent serious illnesses like dementia.
According to Harvard University researchers, the incidence of dementia has decreased by 13 percent every ten years. This was average; One study showed a reduction of up to 19 percent.
if so A tendency to decrease the rate of forgetfulness Continued in Europe and North America, this could mean that 15 million people in high-income countries will be diagnosed with dementia by 2040, compared to previous predictions about the global impact of the disease.
The Harvard team studied the incidence and prevalence of dementia in 49,000 people 65 and older in seven separate studies in the US and Europe. Each study collected data from their subjects over several decades, with some collecting data every few years.
They then analyzed data from multiple 5-year periods in each study and calculated how the risk of dementia changed over a 10-year period.
Lori Chybnik, a biostatistician at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said: “The consistent decline in incidence over three decades suggests that lifestyle education and health interventions, such as blood pressure control and antithrombotic drugs, can be at least partially offset by preventive efforts.” Dementia rising from global gains in life expectancy.’
Another analysis published in the 2024 issue of The Lancet Public Health, which analyzed 27 studies that included population data from the US and Europe, said the studies ‘consistently underreported dementia’.
Since the advent of the Internet, exposure to health knowledge has expanded dramatically, with people increasingly interested in personal nutrition and fitness, family history of certain illnesses, how to make room for work life to complement their personal life, and spending more time with themselves. The people you love.
People are busier than ever to improve their personal health by keeping up to date with doctor visits and educating themselves about healthy lifestyle choices.
Cigarette smoking, which causes a 30-50 percent higher risk of dementia, has decreased dramatically over the past two decades.
This desire has empowered generations to make healthy choices to reduce their risk of chronic disease, including dementia.
Smoking rates — which increase the risk of dementia by 30 to 50 percent — have declined over the past two decades.
According to the American Lung Association Rates have fallen In the year In 1965, 43 percent of Americans smoked, and by 2022 it will drop to less than 12 percent. Smoking rates have dropped by 17 percent in the past five years alone.
And the percentage of people who currently smoke has dropped from 27 percent to just over 18 percent.
It is true that more and more people are becoming obese worldwide, and especially in the US. At the same time, data from developed countries, including the US, show signs that the rate of increase in body mass index (BMI) is slowing.
Dr. Boyd Swinburne, an expert in public health and nutrition at the University of Auckland, told Stats about these areas: “The real start was in the ’80s, ’90s, early 2000s and then it started to plateau.”
The national obesity rate is also down from last year, which statisticians believe is linked to the Olympics. An explosion in the marketWith Wegovy, Zepbound and Moujaro – blockbuster drugs for weight loss.
Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2010, improved lifestyle education and increased doctor screenings have improved people’s ability to stay healthy and reduce the risk of dementia-related chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.
Unhealthy blood vessels are believed to play a major role in a person’s dementia, especially vascular disorders.
The graph above shows findings from a new CDC report, which showed a drop from 42 to 40 percent for the first time, although it was higher than in 2013-2014.
Signs indicate better cardiovascular health nationwide. In the year The number of American adults with heart disease has dropped from more than six percent in 2009 to 5.5 percent in 2019.
When arteries harden or narrow, blood can’t carry oxygen to the brain efficiently, depriving brain cells of what they need to survive.
This can lead to coronary artery disease, which increases the risk of dementia by 27 percent.
But signs point to better cardiovascular health nationwide. In the year The number of American adults with heart disease has dropped from more than six percent in 2009 to 5.5 percent in 2019.
Harvard researchers say it’s hard to know exactly what’s causing new dementia cases to fall because so many things are changing at once, from lifestyle improvements, better education and health treatments to controlling blood pressure or using drugs to prevent blood clots.
“Providing evidence of this decline is the first step toward elucidating the reasons behind that decline and ultimately leading to effective interventions to promote brain health,” Dr. Chybnik said.
