Dementia Deaths Tripled Over Just 2 Decades In Alarming Trend: Study
In 1999, about 150,000 people in the U.S. died from dementia, but that number jumped to 450,000 by 2020. Related news stories report on how high blood pressure and shingles can affect cognition and Alzheimer's risks as we age.
ABC News:
More People Are Dying From Dementia, According To New Study
Deaths from dementia have tripled in just 21 years, according to a new study published in The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders. In 1999, about 150,000 Americans died from dementia, according to the study. By 2020, that number had tripled to over 450,000. (Shaik, 8/14)
CNN:
Alzheimer’s Risk Rose Up To 42% With Untreated High Blood Pressure, Study Finds
Some 46% of the 1.28 billion adults around the world with high blood pressure don’t know they have it, according to the World Health Organization. Yet living with uncontrolled hypertension may dramatically raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease for people ages 60 and older, according to a new metanalysis. (LaMotte, 8/14)
CIDRAP:
Shingles May Pose A 20% Higher Risk For Long-Term Confusion, Memory Loss
An observational study today in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy suggesting that a single episode of shingles is tied to a 20% higher risk of long-term confusion and memory loss further supports receiving the vaccine against the disease. (Van Beusekom, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
Humans Undergo Midlife Molecule Changes In 40s And 60s, Stanford Study Says
For many, middle age is associated with midlife crises and internal tumult. According to new research, it is also when the human body undergoes two dramatic bouts of rapid physical transformation on a molecular level. In a new study, scientists at Stanford University tracked age-related changes in over 135,000 types of molecules and microbes, sampled from over 100 adults. They discovered that shifts in their abundance — either increasing or decreasing in number — did not occur gradually over time, but clustered around two ages. (Sands, 8/14)
AP:
Classes Across The Country Help Seniors Interact With A World Altered By AI
Older adults find themselves in a unique moment with technology. Artificial intelligence offers significant benefits for seniors, from the ability to curb loneliness to making it easier for them to get to medical appointments. But it also has drawbacks that are uniquely threatening to this older group of Americans: A series of studies have found that senior citizens are more susceptible to both scams perpetrated using artificial intelligence and believing the types of misinformation that are being supercharged by the technology. Experts are particularly concerned about the role deepfakes and other AI-produced misinformation could play in politics. (Merica, 8/13)
