One in ten older adults in the U.S. has dementia, study suggests

A study published in JAMA Neurology estimated that in the United States, 1 in 10 adults over the age of 65 has dementia and 1 in 5 has cognitive difficulties.

The study was based on information from the Health and Retirement Study, specifically test results from 2016–17 comprising almost 3,500 study participants age 65 years and older. They underwent tests to gauge their memory, attention, and comprehension as well as their ability to live independently and how their faculties changed over the previous decade.

According to the findings, about 10% of U.S. adults aged 65 and older have dementia and 22% have mild cognitive impairment, indicating their memory and other functions are affected.

About 3% of people in their 60s had dementia, rising to 35% among people in their 90s. The dementia rate was higher for older adults identified as non-Hispanic Black compared with their counterparts.

The study found that 15% of older Black adults have dementia, compared with 11% of older White adults and 10% of older Hispanic adults. In addition, 13% of people with no high school diploma had dementia, compared with 9% among those who finished high school or attended college, according to the study.