Information on living with dementia, dementia research, clinical trials, and resources

Previous estimates of lifetime dementia risk in the United States were 11-14% for men and 19-23% for women. However, these estimates are based on older data in which dementia wasn’t reliably documented, and early-stage cases were often missed. This data was also usually limited to non-Hispanic White populations. A team of researchers analyzed data on more than 15,000 people who were free of dementia at age 55. More than a quarter were Black, and more than half were women. About 31% had at least one copy of the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE ε4) gene variant, a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers estimated a 42% lifetime risk of dementia after age 55, 4% by age 75, and 2% by age 85. They found that the majority of the risk occurs after 85. Women had a 48% lifetime risk for dementia compared to 35% in men. Those who had two copies of APOE ε4 had a lifetime risk of almost 60%, compared to 48% for those with one copy and 39% for those with no copy of the gene. The team projected that the number of new dementia cases will

double over the next four decades, reaching around 1 million in 2060. Learn more about how these new estimates highlight a need for policies that promote healthy aging.