Dementia Rate Drops 24 Percent in the US

The prevalence of dementia in the United States has fallen drastically in recent years, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Researchers believe that Americans’ higher level of education and better heart health, which are both linked to brain health, have contributed to the decline.

In 2000, dementia rates in people over 65 years old were at 11.6 percent. By 2012, the rate dropped to 8.8 percent. That’s a decline of 24 percent, according to the study, which examined more than 21,000 people.

“It’s definitely good news,” said Dr. Kenneth Langa, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and School of Public Health. “Even without a cure for Alzheimer’s disease or a new medication, there are things that we can do socially and medically and behaviorally that can significantly reduce the risk.”

Dementia is a broad term that encompasses loss of memory or other mental handicaps that are serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Vascular dementia, which happens after a stroke, is the second most prevalent form of dementia.

The study began in 1992 and focused on people over 50 years old. The researchers collected data on the participants every two years. The examination included in-depth interviews with volunteers about their health, income, cognitive ability and life circumstances. Researchers also collected body measurements and blood and saliva samples.

Previous studies in the U.S. have suggested that the prevalence of dementia was declining, but this is the first comprehensive study that was representative of the entire U.S. population, the researchers said.

“Our results, based on in-depth interviews with seniors and their caregivers, add to a growing body of evidence that this decline in dementia risk is a real phenomenon, and that the expected future growth in the burden of dementia may not be as extensive as once thought,” Dr. Langa said in a statement.

While the study’s findings were welcomed by advocates, the researchers stressed that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are still a serious burden — economically and emotionally — for family members, as well as the country.

“A change in the overall dementia forecast can have a major economic impact,” Dr. Langa adds. “But it does nothing to lessen the impact that each case has on patients and caregivers. This is still going to be a top priority issue for families, and for health policy, now and in the coming decades.”

The researchers noted this drop occurred despite the increase of conditions that can lead to dementia, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. They did, however, suspect that the improved treatments for cardiovascular disease and diabetes may have contributed to the decline in dementia.

Nearly 5 million Americans suffer from age-related dementias — a number that experts say will triple by 2050, as the elderly population increases. By then, the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double, reaching roughly 84 million people, according to the U.S. Census.

Danielle Tarasiuk

Danielle Tarasiuk is a multimedia journalist based in Los Angeles. Her work has been published on AllDay.com, Yahoo! Sports, KCET, and NPR-affiliate stations KPCC and KCRW. She’s a proud Sarah Lawrence College and USC Annenberg alumn.

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