Study finds declining prevalence of dementia in older Americans

The prevalence of dementia among older Americans declined 30% between 2000 and 2016, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to a report in McKnights Senior Living, researchers from the nonprofit RAND Corp. found the prevalence of dementia decreased from 12.2% of older adults in 2000 to 8.5% in 2016, nearly a one-third decline. The prevalence of dementia was higher among women than men over the study period, although the percentage gap diminished during that time ”“ the prevalence of dementia in men decreased from 10.2% to 7% while decreases among women narrowed from 13.6% to 9.7%.

The researchers theorized that some of the factors contributing to this decline were rising education levels, a reduction in smoking and better treatment of cardiovascular risks.

“The reasons for the decline in the prevalence of dementia are not certain, but this trend is good news for older Americans and the systems that support them,” Peter Hudomiet, the study”™s lead author and a RAND economist. “This decline may help reduce the expected strain on families, nursing homes and other support systems as the American population ages.”

Approximately 6.2 million American adults aged 65 or more years lived with dementia during 2021. The study noted that because age is the strongest risk factor for dementia, increasing life expectancy could increase the prevalence of Alzheimer”™s disease and related dementias between 50 to 150 million globally by 2050.