Status: 08/16/2022 5:22 p.m
According to the Alzheimer Society, the number of people with dementia in Germany is constantly increasing – including among younger people. The increase can be explained, among other things, by better diagnostics.
In Germany, the number of people suffering from dementia continues to rise. According to the German Alzheimer Society, there are far more new cases each year than deaths among those who are already ill. According to new calculations, around 1.8 million people are currently living with dementia in Germany. Most of them are affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Last year, around 440,000 people were newly diagnosed with dementia. In the past, an annual increase of around 300,000 new cases was expected. Depending on demographic developments, the number of people over the age of 65 with dementia will increase to 2.4 to 2.8 million by 2050.
“The main reason why this number is significantly higher than in earlier publications is that diagnostics have improved significantly in recent years,” says René Thyrian from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Significantly more affected under 65 years
In addition, there are significantly more sick people under the age of 65 than previously thought, explained Thyrian. In Germany, there are currently more than 100,000 dementia sufferers in this younger age group.
The chairwoman of the German Alzheimer Society, Monika Kaus, emphasized that the new figures clearly show the need for support for younger people with dementia. Concepts such as how to continue working with the onset of dementia are lacking, as are suitable care offers or care facilities for this age group.