The number of adults living with dementia worldwide is on course to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, according to the first study of its kind.
Experts described the data as shocking and said it was clear that dementia presented “a major and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems” in every community, country and continent.
US researchers said the dramatic rise from an estimated 57 million cases in 2019 would be primarily due to population growth and ageing. However, several risk factors for dementia – including obesity, smoking and high blood sugar – would also fuel the increase, they said.
Improvements in global education access are projected to reduce global dementia prevalence by 6.2 million cases by 2050. But this will be countered by anticipated trends in obesity, high blood sugar and smoking, which are expected to result in an extra 6.8 million dementia cases.
The Global Burden of Disease study is the first to provide forecasting estimates for adults aged 40 and older across 195 countries worldwide. The findings are published in the Lancet…
