Older people’s risk of suffering from dementia is decreasing, new research published in the Lancet has found.
The study, carried out by Cambridge University researchers in three areas of England compares dementia rates in people born 20 years apart.
Based on 1991 trends, experts had predicted 8% of over-65s would have dementia in 2011.
The actual figure for 2011 turned out to be just over 6%, the team discovered. Applied to the whole UK, it would mean there are 214,000 fewer cases of dementia than predicted – a 24% reduction.
This also suggests there are currently 670,000 people living in the UK with dementia, rather than the 800,000 – 900,000 figure that experts currently cite.