New cases of dementia decline while prevalence continues to increase due to population aging

New instances of dementia in the US decreased between 2015 and 2021; however, the total number of individuals affected increased because of demographic shifts. The report, released by JAMA Neurology, reveals that approximately 2.9 million elderly Medicare recipients—about one-tenth of all enrollees—were diagnosed with dementia in 2021. The BMJ today.

Furthermore, the study revealed that disadvantaged and under-resourced communities bear a heavier burden of dementia, underscoring the necessity for policy measures to ensure fair access to dementia care, according to the research team.

It’s projected that dementia will almost double to impact around 14 million individuals in the USA by 2060, leading to significant social and economic consequences. However, robust data regarding recent patterns in both new diagnoses (incidence) and current instances (prevalence) of dementia within standard healthcare settings are limited.

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