A new study published this week has raised alerts about the prominence of dementia, showing that the risks of developing the disease are much higher than previously thought.
The study was published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine and found that more than 2 in 5 people over the age of 55 in the US will develop dementia in their later years.
That means that a little less than half, 42% to be exact, will experience the heartbreaking disease that results in memory loss, personality changes, confusion, hallucinations, mood swings, and more.
With the population in the US continuing to age, researchers are now estimating that the number of people diagnosed with dementia each year will double by 2060. In 2020, there were about 514,000 cases, meaning in four decades there will be about 1 million every year.
Driving the trend is the population of Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, who are continuing to reach older ages. The US Census Bureau also reports that Baby Boomers are the second largest generation in the US, behind only their children, Millennials, researchers shared.
In 2020, there were about 73 million Boomers, and the youngest of them were 60 years old. By 2040, all Boomers will be at least 75 years old, another age at which dementia diagnoses were found to increase substantially.
While conducting the research, researchers used health records for close to 15,000 people, following each patient for an average of 23 years.
The latest study also included a better pool of diverse candidates, helping researchers paint a clearer picture of what the US will look like in 2060, as some demographics have a higher risk of developing dementia.
The study noted “striking differences” when it comes to the risk of dementia by race. According to the findings, Black adults have a significantly higher diagnosis rate compared to their White counterparts.
In fact, when their data is extrapolated, the researchers note that Black adults may see dementia diagnosis triple by 2060.
“Racial disparities in dementia may reflect the cumulative effects of structural racism and inequality throughout the life course,” the researchers wrote. “For instance, poor access to education and nutrition may contribute to earlier differences in cognitive reserve, and socioeconomic disparities and limited access to care may lead to a higher burden of vascular risk factors at midlife.”
Other demographics that may be at higher risk for dementia also include older women, who have a 48% risk of developing dementia, compared to older men, who have a 35% risk. However, researchers note this could be because women tend to live longer.
While the findings paint a dark picture, researchers say it only highlights the “urgent need for policies that enhance healthy aging, with a focus on health equity.”
“Policies that enhance prevention and healthy aging are urgent public health priorities for reducing the substantial and growing burden of dementia,” they shared in the study.