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An individual aged 75 to 80 is much less prone to have dementia in the present day in comparison with somebody of the identical age a number of many years in the past, a College of Queensland research has discovered.
UQ researchers analyzed information from greater than 62,000 individuals over the age of 70 who had been born from 1890 to 1948 to find out whether or not there have been generational variations within the prevalence of dementia. The outcomes are printed within the journal JAMA Community Open.
Dr. Sabrina Lenzen from UQ’s Heart for the Enterprise and Economics of Well being mentioned it was possible enhancements in cardiovascular well being, training, dwelling circumstances and entry to well being care had contributed to the findings.
“We often see statistics that show dementia prevalence rates are increasing—our study doesn’t refute that,” Dr. Lenzen mentioned.
“As extra individuals reside longer, the overall numbers of individuals identified with dementia will develop.
“What we found was a statistically significant decline in people from more recent birth cohorts having dementia.”
Ph.D. scholar Xiaoxue Dou labored with Dr. Lenzen to research information from 62,437 individuals, together with 21,069 from the U.S., 32,490 from Europe and eight,878 from England.
Contributors had been divided into eight delivery cohorts and 6 age teams.
Cohorts had been grouped roughly into 5-birth-year blocks, with the earliest together with individuals born between 1890 and 1913 and the newest between 1944 and 1948.
The six age teams had been 71–75, 76–80, 81–85, 86–90, 91–95, and 96 and older.
Imply prevalence of dementia by age teams and delivery cohorts within the U.S., Europe, and England. Credit score: JAMA Community Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.13384
“This enabled us to examine how dementia prevalence changes with age and across generations while taking into account when the surveys were conducted,” Dr. Lenzen mentioned.
She mentioned the outcomes persistently confirmed individuals born extra not too long ago had been much less prone to have dementia, together with within the U.S. the place 25.1% of individuals aged 81–85 who had been born between 1890 and 1913 had dementia, in comparison with 15.5% of these born between 1939 and 1943.
“There has been a lot of improvement in education—particularly for women if, for example, we compare to the baby boomer generation,” Dr. Lenzen mentioned.
“We have seen enhancements in cardiovascular well being, higher management of blood stress and ldl cholesterol—all danger elements for dementia.
“We see this strong correlation between age and dementia, but I think it’s really important to understand that it’s not just age driving those onsets.”
Dr. Lenzen mentioned whereas the outcomes offered some hope, there was a necessity for continued funding in public well being campaigns.
“Some of the risk factors have been improving but we have been seeing a shift in terms of high obesity rates and things like air pollution,” she mentioned.
“We know those are also related to dementia, so it’s not certain these trends will continue.”
Extra data:
Xiaoxue Dou et al, Generational Variations in Age-Particular Dementia Prevalence Charges, JAMA Community Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.13384
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