The number of people with dementia three years after reporting signs of memory loss or cognitive decline rose sharply between 2009 and 2018.
- Between 2009 and 2018, the proportion of new cases of cognitive decline increased from 1 per 1,000 to 3 per 1,000 among British seniors
- More than one in two people reporting signs of cognitive decline after age 65 are at risk of developing dementia within three years
In the United Kingdom, more than one in two people (52%) who have declared signs of cognitive decline to their doctor from the age of 65 are at risk of developing dementia within three years. And for patients who simply mention memory loss, the risk of dementia three years later is still 46%. This is revealed by a study by researchers at University College London published in Clinical Epidemiology. But the most impressive figure to emerge from this work is that the incidence of cognitive decline more than doubled between 2009 and 2018.
In 2018, three cases of cognitive decline per 1,000 people observed
Scientists analyzed data from more than 1.3 million people aged 65 to 99 collected between 2009 and 2018. Among them, nearly 56,000 had mentioned memory problems to their doctor and nearly 15,000 from signs of cognitive decline. The first lesson learned from the work carried out was that in 2009, for every 1,000 people observed, one new case of cognitive decline was recorded. By 2018, this proportion had risen to 3 per 1,000.
“This study which shows that the incidence of cognitive decline has doubled in less than 10 years sheds new light on the prevalence of these problems among the older generation in the UK and the likelihood of these symptoms progressing to a diagnosis of dementia,” said lead author Brenda Hallan.
Predicting a high risk of dementia
The other lesson of this work is that “memory problems and cognitive decline are not only characteristic symptoms of dementia but that they also predict a high risk of developing dementia”, adds Brendan Hallan in explaining the importance of identification of these symptoms by general practitioners in order to allow a more rapid diagnosis of dementia.
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