Fewer New Diagnoses of Dementia Being Made in America, Study Says

A new study published in The British Medical Journal has found that “fewer older Americans are being newly diagnosed with dementia, yet the total number living with the condition is growing.”

The latest research “spotlights the urgent need for policies that address disparities in dementia prevention, diagnosis, and long-term support.” People with dementia are “living longer than before” while fewer people are being newly diagnosed each year. Globally, “more than 150 million people are projected to develop dementia by 2050.”

Researchers analyzed data from over 25 million traditional Medicare beneficiaries between 2015 and 2021. They found that “age- and sex-adjusted incidence of dementia fell from 3.5% in 2015 to 2.8% in 2021.” Prevalence rose from 10.5% to 11.8%, “with nearly 2.8 million beneficiaries – about 12% of traditional Medicare enrollees – living with a dementia diagnosis by 2021.”

Higher rates of dementia were “consistently found in women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.” This, along with the other findings, “underscores the need for long-term care planning, caregiver support, and equitable dementia care delivery.”