In the United States, the risk of developing dementia after the age of 55 is 42 % in adults, more than double the risk reported by previous research.
- The overall risk of dementia in lifetime in American -aged Americans is 42 %, an average risk of 35 % in men and 48 % in women.
- The rates were much higher in women, black people and the carriers of the APOE ε4, with risks on life ranging from around 45 % to 60 % in these populations.
- By 2060, the number of people diagnosed as damage to dementia each year should double, from around 514,000 cases in 2020 to around one million per year by 2060.
Memory, concentration, judgment … Dementia is characterized by a progressive decline of these cognitive functions. Over the years, the number of cases has increased due to the aging of the population, but also because of genetic factors, high levels of hypertension and diabetes, obesity, poor diet, lack of lack physical activity and poor mental health. According to scientists from Johns Hopkins University (United States), the risk of seeing its cognitive functions deteriorate is underestimated due to the lack of reliability of the documentation of the disease in medical files and on certificates of death, minimum surveillance of dementia at an early stage and the sub-declaration of cases among groups of racial minorities.
Dementia: 35 % risk in men and 48 % in women after 55 years
In a new study, published in the journal Medicine naturethe team wanted to estimate the risk of developing dementia during life, more specifically from the age of 55 to 95 years. For this, she relied on the information collected as part of the Atherosclerose Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study cohort which, since 1987, has closely followed vascular health and cognitive functions of 15,043 adults as they age. Between 1987 and 2020, 3,252 participants were identified as having developed dementia, according to data.
The risk of dementia in life after 55 years was 42 %, an average risk of 35 % in men and 48 % in women. The results have also shown a higher risk in black adults and in the bearers of a mutation in the APOE4 gene (between 45 % and 60 %), which codes for a protein that carries cholesterol and other lipids in traffic blood. As a reminder, the presence of a certain version of the APOE4 gene is considered to be the most important genetic risk factor for the late development of Alzheimer’s disease.
514,000 new cases of dementia per year in 2020 to around 1 million in 2060
“We have applied risk estimates to the projections of the American census to assess the annual number of dementia incidents between 2020 and 2060”, wrote the researchers. Result: the number of Americans who will develop dementia each year should go from around 514,000 in 2020 to around one million in 2060. According to the authors, the relative growth of new cases of dementia was particularly pronounced in black people. “These data highlight the urgent need for political measures that promote healthy aging, emphasizing health equity”, they concluded.
