Number of people with dementia lower than experts projected

Dementia diagnosis rates in the UK have actually fallen over the last 20 years, according to the findings of two Medical Research Council studies.

A lower prevalence amongst adults over 65 than previously estimated is shown by a 1.8 per cent decrease in the overall population, now estimated at 6.5 per cent. Resulting in a figure of 670,000, the number of people with dementia is, therefore, 20 per cent lower than was projected two decades ago.

The results do not change the priorities of care sector reforms, with a rapidly ageing population meaning that the number of dementia sufferers will continue to rise dramatically, but researchers hope that policy makers will at least benefit from being better informed when seeing through change.

Discussing the findings, Cambridge University’s Professor Carol Brayne, who led the study, says: “This study provides compelling evidence of a reduction in the prevalence of dementia in the older population over two decades. Whether or not these gains for the current older population will be borne out in later generations would seem to depend on whether further improvements in primary prevention and effective health care for conditions which increase dementia risk can be achieved, including addressing inequalities.”

Professor Hugh Perry, chair of the Neurosciences and Mental Health Board at the Medical Research Council adds: “This robust and comprehensive study gives us crucial information on the prevalence of dementia in the country. Of course we can’t assume that this reduction will be seen in future studies, therefore the need for us to find ways of preventing and treating dementia is as urgent as ever. We should be very much encouraged by the indication that there may be modifiable environmental factors that play a role in a person’s risk of developing dementia.”

The studies, taken from three geographical areas – Newcastle, Nottingham and Cambridgeshire – also finds that dementia remains more prevalent amongst women, with 7.7 per cent over 65 estimated as having dementia, as opposed to 4.9 per cent of men.