Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Dementia Rates Plummet, Researchers Speculate Education Could Be Key Factor
The New York Times: U.S. Dementia Rates Are Dropping Even As Population Ages
Despite fears that dementia rates were going to explode as the population grows older and fatter, and has more diabetes and high blood pressure, a large nationally representative survey has found the reverse. Dementia is actually on the wane. And when people do get dementia, they get it at older and older ages. (Kolata, 11/21)
NPR: Dementia And Alzheimer's Are Affecting Fewer People
While the prevalence of dementia cases dropped, the average amount of education in the study population increased. ... Researchers don't know why education should be a protector against dementia, says Dr. Kenneth Langa, a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan and the lead author of the study. But they have some theories. "One is that education might actually change the brain itself," Langa says. "We think that it actually creates more, and more complicated, connections between the nerve cells so that you're able to keep thinking normally later into life." (Jaffe, 11/21)
Stat: Dramatic Decline In Dementia Seen Among Older Adults In The US
The percent of older US adults with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, declined from 11.6 percent in 2000 to 8.8 percent in 2012, a decrease of nearly a quarter, scientists reported on Monday. It had been thought that the baby boomers’ march toward old age would triple the number of Alzheimer’s patients by 2050. These new numbers not only portend a lesser burden on the health care system (and families) but also suggest that something has changed over the generations — and identifying that change could drive down dementia rates even further. (Begley, 11/21)
Kaiser Health News: Dementia Rates Decline Sharply Among Senior Citizens
A new study finds that the prevalence of dementia has fallen sharply in recent years, most likely as a result of Americans’ rising educational levels and better heart health, which are both closely related to brain health. Dementia rates in people over age 65 fell from 11.6 percent in 2000 to 8.8 percent in 2012, a decline of 24 percent, according to a study of more than 21,000 people across the country published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Szabo, 11/21)
