Why are dementia cases rising sharply in China?
Hanohishikilf/Aramie
Dementia rates are increasing more rapidly in China than almost anywhere else in the world, and can be more than four times the country over the past decades.
Daoying Geng The University of Hudan in China and her colleagues analyzed dementia rates in 204 countries and regions around the world between 1990 and 2021. They gather information on the deaths and cases of dementia in people over the age of 40, focusing on other forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and cerebral osteolobular intestinal disorders.
During this period, researchers found that the number of people with dementia around the world had more than doubled from almost 22 million in 1990 to nearly 57 million in 2021. It was even more dramatic in China, with more than four times the number of cases increasing to around 4 million over the same time frame.
Further analysis revealed that population growth was the main culprit. China’s birth rate skyrocketed in the 1950s. “So those people are getting older today. They are now in their 70s, and this is the best risk group for dementia.” Xi Chen At Yale University, where he was not involved in the research. “Many countries have baby boomers, but they’re not as cohort as China’s baby boomers. That’s the main problem.”
The team has identified three other major factors that contribute to the rise in dementia rates in China. First smoking affects men almost exclusively, as only 2% of Chinese women smoke cigarettes About half of all men do that. This contrasts with wealthy countries like the US and the UK, where smoking rates are steadily declining, Chen says.
One Western trend that China has reflected is the surge in the rates of diabetes and obesity, particularly over the past decades, both of which are risk factors for dementia. This is probably because Chinese people adopt a Western diet rather than a higher fat and calorie content, Chen says. He believes that China’s dementia rates ultimately resemble US or UK awareness, as younger generations tend to smoke less than older generations. However, the conditions still have a major impact on China during that time.
“Dementia is one of the most expensive diseases in the world. It requires a lot of care and treatment,” says Chen. “And in terms of ageing, China remains the largest in the world. Few young people care for a large cohort of elderly people with dementia. So, these are all challenges.”
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