Dementia Cases in the U.S. Expected to Double by 2060, Hitting 1 Million a Year
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01/14/2025 12:58 PM
Women and Black Americans face an increased risk of developing the disorder, new research says
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Stock image of an elderly woman being assisted as she uses a walker.Cases of dementia in the U.S. are expected to steadily rise in the coming years, hitting 1 million annual cases by 2060.
Americans have a 42% risk of developing the cognitive disorder after age 55, according to the study published in Nature. Women also face an increased risk of developing dementia because they live longer.
"Their risk of getting dementia by the time their 95th birthday would arrive is higher because more of them will make it closer to their 95th birthday," Dr. Josef Coresh, director of the Optimal Aging Institute at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine and a leader of the study, said, The New York Times reports.
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Stock image of an elderly patient's hand being held.For the study, researchers looked at three decades worth of data from 15,000 people in Maryland, Mississippi, Minnesota and North Carolina; 27% of the participants were Black, and their data led researchers to conclude that Black people carry a higher lifetime risk of dementia — and may develop the cognitive disease earlier.
For Black Americans, the expected number of dementia cases is expected to triple. Coresh told the NYT that an increase in life expectancy for Black Americans is partially driving the elevated dementia numbers, which can also be attributed to structural racism that inhibits health care. He also added that "vascular risk factors are more common" for Black Americans.
Study authors emphasized prevention over treatment, pointing out that "half of dementia risk is preventable," Coresh told the outlet, citing established risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and hearing loss. "It is never too early or too late to address dementia risk," he said.
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Stock image of an elderly woman in a wheelchair.If the study's projections are correct, Coresh estimates there will be 12 million Americans living with dementia by 2060. The most common type of dementia, the Centers for Disease Control says, is Alzheimer's disease, which impacts an estimated 6.7 million Americans.
"These results highlight the urgent need for policies that enhance healthy aging," the study says, "with a focus on health equity."
