Burden of Alzheimer Disease Rose Worldwide From 1990 to 2021

THURSDAY, March 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The burden of Alzheimer disease and other dementias (ADODs) rose globally from 1990 to 2021, according to a study published online in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Manqiong Yuan, from Xiamen University in China, and colleagues described the global burden and temporal trends of ADODs from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study.

The researchers found significant disparities in the numbers, rates, and age-standardized rates of disability-adjusted life years across 204 countries/territories. For all age groups, women demonstrated higher disability-adjusted life-year numbers (rates). Worldwide, there was an increase in the age-standardized disability-adjusted life-year rate, which was high in high-middle and middle sociodemographic index regions but increased faster in low (average annual percentage change [AAPC], 0.227 percent) and low-middle (AAPC, 0.244 percent) sociodemographic index regions. Disability-adjusted life years of ADODs were skewed and higher in countries with higher sociodemographic development, with the inequality increasing over time except for education expenditure-related inequality.

“Based on the results, it is necessary to further control risk factors of ADODs by promoting a healthy diet and regular exercise for preventing the development of ADODs in developed countries,” lead author Ya Fang, M.D., Ph.D., also from Xiamen University, said in a statement. “However, enhancing basic healthcare, improving medical resource access and affordability, and raising ADOD awareness among the public in developing countries are also vital.”

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