- There are now 200,000 fewer dementia cases than predicted 20 years ago
- 670,000 people in the UK have dementia compared to the predicted 884,000
- Dementia is more prevalent among women – 7.7% of women over 65 have dementia, compared to just 4.9% of men
By
Sophie Borland
08:12 EST, 16 July 2013
|
18:44 EST, 16 July 2013
The proportion of Britons with dementia has unexpectedly fallen by about a quarter in the last twenty years
Britons are less likely to develop dementia today than two decades ago, researchers claim.
A major study found the chances of developing the disease in old age has fallen by a quarter since the 1990s.
However, the overall number of dementia sufferers is on the rise because more of us live to an age when the illness is most prevalent.
It is not yet clear why the dementia risk has dropped but the Cambridge University researchers think it may be partly due to better treatment for heart disease – including improved uptake of drugs for high blood pressure – which could protect against dementia.
It could also be down to improvements in education over the last century.
Children who stay at school for longer are less likely to get dementia later in life.
But the researchers warned that dementia – including Alzheimer’s disease – remains a huge burden on the NHS and society, which will only increase in the coming years.
The study also found that the percentage of care home residents with dementia had increased from 56 per cent to 70 per cent, with fewer residents in better health.
This places a considerable burden on staff and means patients may be at risk receiving of poor care.
The researchers said the development could be because the elderly and frail are more likely to receive support at home from carers, using residential homes only as a last resort when they are too ill to care for themselves.
The study, published in the Lancet, followed 8,000 randomly selected over-65s between 2008 and 2011, recording how many participants had dementia.
They compared the findings with the results of another group of 7,000 adults who had been followed between 1989 and 1994.
The proportion diagnosed with dementia dropped from 8.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent over the 20-year period, a fall of 24 per cent.
A study of almost 15,000 people revealed that within the general population there are now 200,000 fewer cases than predicted two decades ago. Image shows a CT scan of a brain with Alzheimer’s disease
Professor Anthony Arthur, from the
Medical Research Council at Cambridge University said: ‘What we are not
saying is that the numbers of adults with dementia is falling.
But individually someone aged 65 has a lower risk than they did 20 years ago.
‘Obviously as the population ages there will be more people in the 65-and-over category.
‘We think that risk factors associated with heart disease have declined dramatically.’
Researchers think that one cause may
be the increasing use of drugs for high blood pressure such as beta
blockers, which are thought to have a protective effect because they
help maintain a steady flow of blood to the brain.
Another cause may be a fall in the numbers of smokers. Tobacco is known to increase the risk of getting the disease.
Dementia prevalence is higher amongst women than men over 65 with 7.7 per cent thought to have dementia, compared to 4.9 per cent of men
An Alzheimer’s Society spokesman
said: ‘This interesting study could indicate that better heart health
and education are combining to play a role in reducing dementia
prevalence.
‘While this is good news, this is one study which needs careful examination and may not indicate a continuing trend.
‘Dementia remains the biggest health and social care challenge facing the UK.’
Dr Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of
the Lancet said, ‘A reduction in prevalence of dementia in the older
population is an important and welcome finding.
‘But it is not a signal for government to deprioritise investment in dementia care and research.
‘Dementia remains a substantial challenge for those affected, their families, the NHS, and the Treasury.’
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Well if it’s in the past 20 years, it must be the previous Governments fault. Oops.
malwood9
,
thirsk,
17/7/2013 00:46
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err well I think it has ….maybe not ….but then again it might have ….. what were we talking about ?
Sruoypu
,
notts, United Kingdom,
16/7/2013 23:35
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cases have fallen because specialist doctors are failing to diagnose the illness, ive been out to care for elderly people who have been been under a consultant for well over a year without being diagnosed,they send out a mental health worker once a week to spend an hour with them and im sorry but some of these workers have lights on but nobody is at home….why so long? is it a money thing or to get the figures straight ?
kitty
,
liverpool, United Kingdom,
16/7/2013 23:12
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The predicted rate has probably fallen especially in women as we now exercise our brains more. There are so many gadgets etc that older people like myself can enjoy at very little cost. Computer games, up to date newspapers on line without having to buy them, involvement in communication and better preventative medical care. People slip into dementure when they are lonely, non active and not stimulated. – Jinty , Morillon, France, 16/7/2013 21:37 =============== My two elderly aunts, sisters, ended up in the same Care Home and died within weeks of each other. One didn’t have dementia, and she was inactive, lonely and not bothered about a healthy lifestyle. The other one one did have dementia, and had been a practising psychiatrist until shortly before going into the home. She had been very active and very social and very keen on health foods and a lived a healthy lifestyle. “Brain exercise†makes no difference, neither does throwing away aluminium pans.
Bilbo Baggins
,
Brighton,
16/7/2013 23:06
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its defo the opposite, its risen high.
v5v45
,
yorkshire, United Kingdom,
16/7/2013 23:03
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Another load of B……s. My wife was told by her doctor that she was on the way to dementia. All she got to treat it was a once weekly meeting with other sufferers where they chat about any topic but the right one !
ray g
,
Nottingham,
16/7/2013 23:02
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The numbers of those with dementia has not fallen, so the headline is misleading. The text says: “there are now 200,000 fewer cases than PREDICTED two decades ago.â€
Bilbo Baggins
,
Brighton,
16/7/2013 22:58
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Hmmm not as many as predicted. But still a significant amount. I would imagine diagnosis rates have dropped because in some areas people are diagnosed with memory problems rather than dementia. Massaging figures springs to mind.
Bob
,
UK,
16/7/2013 22:54
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A reduction in the amount of organo-phosphates in our meat since the BSE cover up.
The Punisher
,
Darlington ENGLAND, United Kingdom,
16/7/2013 22:52
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Wrong, it has quadrupled!
eyes in the sky
,
somewhere in la la land,
16/7/2013 22:42
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