United States Dementia Cases Estimated to Double by 2060 | NYU Langone News
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According to the study, earlier underestimates of the risk of the disease are due to unreliable documentation in health records and on death certificates, among other reasons.
A new study shows that the risk of developing dementia at any time after age 55 among Americans is 42 percent, more than double the risk reported by older studies.
That dementia risk translates into an estimated half-million cases this year, rising to a million new cases a year by 2060, according to the new work. Dementia involves progressive declines in memory, concentration, and judgment. The increasing number of cases is directly tied to the aging of the U.S. population. Beyond aging, a high risk of dementia is linked to genetic factors, as well as high rates of hypertension and diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and poor mental health.
The study authors attribute the previous underestimates of dementia risk to unreliable documentation of the illness in health records and on death certificates, minimal surveillance of early-stage cases of dementia, and the underreporting of cases among racial minority groups, which are disproportionately vulnerable.
