Dementia cases are rising faster in China than the rest of the world

China’s dementia rates are increasing faster than almost anywhere in the world, with more than a quadruple cases in the country over the past few decades.

Dying Jing At the University of Vodan, China and its colleagues, it analyzed the rates of dementia in 204 countries and regions worldwide between 1990 and 2021. They used the World Health Organization database to collect information on Difference Mortality and cases in people between the ages of 40 years or older, focusing on Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia and frontal lobe dementia.

The researchers found that the number of people suffering from dementia all over the world increased during this period, from nearly 22 million in 1990 to approximately 57 million in 2021. The increase was more severe in China, where cases that exceeded a quadruple increased, from nearly 4 million to 17 million over the same time frame.

More analysis revealed this Population growth He was the main perpetrator. Born rates in China increased in the fifties. He says that these people are growing up today – they are now in the seventies of the age, which is the highest set of risk of dementia. ” Show Chen At Yale University, who did not participate in the study. “Many countries have children’s births, but not a great coat like children’s children in China. So this is the main issue.”

The team has identified three other main factors that contribute to the high rates of dementia in China. First, smoking, almost exclusively affects men, as only 2 percent of women in China smoke cigarettes during Almost half of the men do. Chen says this is in a sharp contradiction with the richer countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, as smoking rates have decreased steadily.

The western trend that China has echoed is a leap in the rates of diabetes and obesity, especially in the past few decades, both of which are Risk factors for dementia. This may be because people in China adopt a more high western diet and calories, Chen says. He believes that the rates of dementia in China will eventually resemble those in the United States or the United Kingdom, where young generations tend to smoke less than the oldest. But the condition still has a major impact on China in the meantime.

“Defender is one of the most expensive diseases in the world. It requires a lot of care and treatment,” says Chen. “With regard to aging, China is still the largest in the world. There are fewer young people who are interested in a greater group of elderly people with dementia. So, these are all challenges.”