Dementia Cases in U.S. Are Set to Double by 2060, Study Reveals

Losing Memories
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*Dementia cases in the U.S. are projected to double by 2060, with approximately one million new diagnoses annually, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins University. 

The research revealed that Americans aged 55 and older face a 42% lifetime risk of developing dementia, significantly higher than previous estimates, Fox News reports. For those reaching age 75, the risk rises above 50%. Women have an average risk of 48%, compared to 35% for men, a difference attributed to women’s longer life expectancy. 

Published in Nature Medicine on January 13, the study used data from the ARIC-NCS, a long-term study tracking cognitive and vascular health in nearly 16,000 adults since 1987.

“Our study results forecast a dramatic rise in the burden from dementia in the United States over the coming decades, with one in two Americans expected to experience cognitive difficulties after age 55,” said study senior investigator and epidemiologist Josef Coresh, MD, PhD.

“One of the main reasons for the increase is that great medicine and tecnological advances are keeping us alive longer and age is a risk factor for dementia,” Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.

brain aging
Memory loss and brain aging due to dementia and alzheimer’s disease as a medical icon of a group of color changing autumn fall trees shaped as a human head losing leaves as intelligence function on a white background. Depositphotos

“Obesity is associated with inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are all independent risk factors for dementia.”

Beyond aging, key risk factors for dementia include genetics, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, poor diets high in ultraprocessed foods, sedentary lifestyles, and mental health disorders, according to the report.

“We have an obesity epidemic with over 45% adults obese in the U.S.,” Siegel noted. “Obesity is associated with inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are all independent risk factors for dementia.”

“And as an unhealthy population, we also have more heart disease, and atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for cognitive decline,” he added.

Dementia risk is greater for individuals with the APOE4 gene variant, associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and is also higher among Black adults.

“This new study’s anticipated surge in dementia cases underscores the urgent need for early and accurate detection,” Professor Adrian Owen, PhD, neuroscientist and chief scientific officer at Creyos, a Canada-based company, told Fox News Digital.

Routine cognitive assessments should be conducted as part of routine checkups to prevent cognitive decline.

“By catching issues early, we give people the power to make lifestyle adjustments, seek available treatments and plan their futures with clarity,” Owen said.

“By identifying cognitive decline at its earliest stages, we have an opportunity to intervene before patients and families bear the full weight of the disease.”

READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Elijah Rock Uses His ‘Memories Unleashed (The Great American Songbook)’ Show to Promote Awareness for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Through Music

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