[Are the prevalence and incidence of dementia declining?]

The Framingham Heart Study showed a 35 per cent drop in new dementia cases in 25 years from the late 1970s to the early 2010s. The question that has been asked is: can we stop worrying about the dementia pandemic? We argue that dementia will remain a major health problem. In the Framingham Heart Study the largest decrease in incidence occurred in the early nineties and levelled off in later years. Higher educational levels and improved cardiovascular risk management may explain part of the decreased incidence. The latter justifies intensive treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. This may have to start at an earlier age than is currently the case since hypertension, obesity and diabetes are now prevalent at younger ages. Despite the decrease in dementia incidence, the absolute numbers of people with dementia will increase due to the aging population. Research on early diagnosis and new treatments for dementia therefore remains crucial.