Study: Dementia prevalence declines over 12 years

The prevalence of dementia in the U.S. declined between 2000 and 2012 from 11.6% to 8.8%, a relative decrease of about 24%, according to a study published online today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers from the University of Michigan compared data from the Health and Retirement Study, a large nationally representative group of U.S. adults, to identify trends and socioeconomic and health variables associated with change in dementia prevalence. According to the authors, “An increase in educational attainment was associated with some of the decline in dementia prevalence, but the full set of social, behavioral, and medical factors contributing to the decline is still uncertain. Continued monitoring of trends in dementia incidence and prevalence will be important for better gauging the full future societal impact of dementia as the number of older adults increases in the decades ahead.”