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Annual Dementia Cases Are Anticipated to Double in the U.S. by 2060

Learn more about the predicted prevalence of dementia, which is projected to increase with the aging U.S. population.

BySam Walters
As the U.S. population ages, dementia cases are anticipated to increase.Credit: Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock

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A new study published in Nature Medicine, suggests that the risk of developing dementia in the U.S. is more than double than described in previous studies, sitting at around 42 percent for adults above age 55.

If accurate, that risk will result in a rise in annual cases, which will increase from a half million new cases in 2025 to a million new cases in 2060. According to the study authors, this anticipated increase in cases is a product of the age of the population in the U.S., where around 58 million adults are currently above age 65.

“Our study results forecast a dramatic rise in the burden from dementia in the United States over the coming decades, with one in two Americans expected to experience cognitive difficulties after age 55,” said study author and professor of population health Josef Coresh, the founder of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU ...

  • Sam Walters

    Sam Walters is the associate editor at Discover Magazine who writes and edits articles covering topics like archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution, and manages a few print magazine sections.

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