Although the number of cases of old-age dementia has risen with the increasing size of the elderly population, recent research suggests that dementia risk among seniors has declined in some places over the past two decades. Specifically, analyses conducted in the U.S., Canada, England, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark suggest that “a 75- to 85-year-old has a lower risk of having Alzheimer’s today than 15 or 20 years ago,” says Kenneth Langa. What could be driving this apparent downward trend? Researchers suggest the answer could be better management of CVD risk factors such as hypertension and high cholesterol, and increasing educational attainment. On the other hand, rising levels of diabetes, which is linked to dementia, could offset the downward trend.

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