Dementia Diagnoses Decrease, Yet More Individuals Prolong Their Lives Despite the Condition's Presence
American Dementia Rates Declining but Prevalence Increasing, Resulting in Growing Need for Healthcare Infrastructure
A comprehensive study involving over 25 million Medicare recipients has revealed that while new cases of dementia in the United States are decreasing, the number of older adults living with the condition is escalating. From 2015 to 2021, incident rates dropped from 3.5% to 2.8%, yet prevalence surged to nearly 12%.
The study, published in The BMJ, underlines the urgent necessity for policies addressing disparities in dementia prevention, diagnosis, and long-term support, particularly in disadvantaged populations, women, and racial and ethnic minorities.
Jay B. Lusk, MD, MBA, a preventive medicine resident at the UNC Department of Family Medicine and visiting research scholar at Duke University, explained that while there's a promising decline in new dementia cases annually, the rise in longevity among people with the condition calls for long-term care planning and equitable dementia care delivery.
Increased awareness and strategies to address modifiable risk factors, improved diagnostic accuracy, as well as long-term support and care integration are fundamental to addressing the growing burden of dementia on families, caregivers, and the healthcare system.
Researchers analyzed Medicare beneficiary data between 2015 and 2021, focusing on trends in dementia incidence and prevalence within age, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic groups. Key findings include:
- Incidence fell from 3.5% in 2015 to 2.8% in 2021, while prevalence rose from 10.5% to 11.8%.
- Black Americans and those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods faced the highest dementia rates.
- Women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people in deprived neighborhoods consistently exhibited higher dementia rates.
Further measures focusing on health equity are crucial to reducing dementia-related disparities. The work was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association, emphasizing ongoing governmental and nonprofit investment in dementia research.
About this dementia research news
Author: Kendall DanielsSource: UNCContact: Kendall Daniels - UNCImage: The image is credited to our website
Original Research: Open access. "Incidence and prevalence of dementia among US Medicare beneficiaries, 2015-21: population based study" by Jay B. Lusk et al., BMJ.
Abstract
Incidence and prevalence of dementia among US Medicare beneficiaries, 2015-21: population based study
Objective
To analyze incidence and prevalence trends of dementia among US Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on important subgroups.
Design
Population-based study.
Setting
Nationwide study between 2015 and 2021.
Participants
Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 or older with at least one year of continuous enrollment.
Main outcome measures
Incidence and prevalence of dementia, assessed as percentage per person-years or percentage of beneficiaries respectively.
Results
A total of 5,025,039 incident cases of dementia were documented from 2015 to 2021. Age- and sex-standardized incidence decreased from 3.5% to 2.8%, while prevalence rose from 10.5% to 11.8%.
Males had a higher age-standardized incidence in 2015 (3.5%) compared to females (3.4%), with the difference widening to 2.9% vs 2.6% respectively by 2021 (estimated difference-in-difference 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.94–0.95; P<0.001).
In 2015, dementia incidence was highest among black beneficiaries (4.2%), followed by Hispanic beneficiaries (3.7%) and white beneficiaries (3.4%). By 2021, rates were highest for black beneficiaries (3.1%) and lower for white beneficiaries (2.8%) and Hispanic beneficiaries (2.6%). The difference between white and black beneficiaries narrowed from 2015 to 2021 (difference-in-difference 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.91–0.93; P<0.001), while it decreased between white and Hispanic beneficiaries (difference-in-difference 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.87–0.89; P<0.001).
Conclusions
Although dementia incidence decreased from 2015 to 2021, prevalence increased. Disparities among race/ethnicity, sex, and neighborhood socioeconomic status call for future measures to promote health equity.
- The study, published in The BMJ, delves into the nuances of neurology, particularly focusing on dementia in the aging population.
- The findings highlight the need for neuroscience news, as they emphasize the growing burden of dementia on health-and-wellness, medical-conditions, and the healthcare system.
- Researchers in the field of neuroscience analyzed data from Medicare beneficiaries, identifying disparities in dementia prevalence among different racial and ethnic groups, sexes, and socioeconomic statuses.
- To address these disparities, further investment in neuroscience research, targeted strategies to reduce risk factors, and equity in dementia care delivery are crucial, as outlined in the research news published by UNC.
