Study: U.S. deaths from dementia tripled in two decades

Deaths from dementia have tripled in just 21 years, according to a new national study (Source: “More people are dying from dementia, according to new study,” ABC News, Aug. 14).
 
The study published in The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders found that more than 450,000 Americans died from dementia in 2020, more than triple the 150,000 who died in 1999.
 
Women, Black adults, and people living in rural communities showed the greatest increase in dementia deaths, the study found. However, the chances of dying from dementia increased among every demographic group studied, according to the study.
 
By 2050, the number of people with dementia will double in the U.S. to over 10.5 million and triple globally to over 150 million, the British medical journal The Lancet forecast in 2022.
 
Despite these alarming statistics, experts say the average person has some control over their cognitive health. Up to 45% of dementia cases may be preventable by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors, according to the Lancet Commission on Dementia.