Explosion of Dementia Cases, Maybe Not!

Photo: Luca Rossato/Flickr

• WHO stands for 'World Health Organization'
• Study suggests new dementia cases actually may be decreasing
• Possible factors (over 40 years) were considered, including:
  • Education, smoking, medical conditions, etc
• During 4 periods (late 1970s, late 1980s, 1990s, 2000s) average 20% decline, only evident in:
  • High school education and above
  • Vascular diseases cases
  • Heart diseases cases
• Suggests importance of stroke treatment and heart disease prevention.
• Study offers hope some cases are preventable or delayed, through:
  • Primary prevention:
    • Stopping disease process from starting
  • Secondary prevention:
    • Stopping progression to clinical dementia
• Study limitations:
  • Sample population overwhelmingly of European ancestry
  • Didn't look at key variables such as diet and exercise
• Side Note: WHO estimates 47.5 mil (presently), 76.6 mil (2030), 135.5 mil (2050) global dementia cases
• Published in New England Journal of Medicine