Dementia: Significantly more people under the age of 65 are affected than previously thought

0

In Germany
The number of people suffering from dementia is increasing – and more and more people under the age of 65 are also being affected

The number of people with dementia in Germany is constantly increasing.

© Xesai / Getty Images

17.08.2022, 17:08

2 min reading time

Around 1.8 million people suffering from dementia currently live in Germany. According to the German Alzheimer Society, this number is constantly increasing.

Not knowing that the jam is spread on the bread and not on the board, not remembering a certain word or an altered handwriting – these are all symptoms of dementia. According to the German Alzheimer Society (DAlzG), the number of people with dementia in Germany is constantly increasing. There are currently around 1.8 million people living with dementia in Germany, most of whom are affected by Alzheimer’s. There are significantly more people who are newly diagnosed with dementia than deaths. In 2021, around 440,000 people will be newly ill.

It is striking that there are significantly more sick people under the age of 65 than previously assumed, the DAlzG announced. In Germany, it is currently assumed that there are more than 100,000 dementia sufferers in this younger age group. Dementia is generally considered to be a disease of old age. It is true that the number of dementia cases increases with age, but there are also people who develop dementia well before the age of 65. Around every 1,000th person aged 45 to 65 is affected, in Germany between 20,000 and 24,000 people. Less than 2 percent of all dementia cases are under the age of 65, according to the DAlzG.

However, René Thyrian, board member of the DAlzG, does not assume an actual increase in the incidence of the disease among people under 65 years of age. “The main reason why this number is significantly higher than in earlier publications is that diagnostics have improved significantly in recent years.” It is only today that dementia is also recognized in younger people and is not confused with other diseases such as depression, according to the DAlzG statement.

A man grabs his head, his wife supports him on his shoulders

Alzheimer’s and dementia

Where did I put my keys? This is how you can find out whether you are just a little forgetful or already have dementia

More women than men are affected by dementia

The numbers make it clear how great the need for support is for younger people with dementia and their families, emphasized Monika Kaus, first chairwoman of the DAlzG. After all, many of those affected are still working and have children in school and training.

According to the DAlzG, depending on how the age structure of the population develops over the next few years, the number of people over 65 with dementia could increase to 2.4 to 2.8 million by 2050.

Diabetes, therapies, early detection

What you should know about Alzheimer’s dementia


Who is Alzheimer's? In 1901, the psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer described the course of his patient Auguste Deter's illness. At only 51 years old, she suffered from "forgetfulness and delusions". Age-related dementia was already known at the time, but Deter was far too young for that. She died six years later "completely stupid", as Alzheimer noted. During the autopsy, the doctor under the microscope recognized dead nerve cells and large-scale deposits in the brain. In 1907 Alzheimer published a paper on a "peculiar disease of the cerebral cortex". That marked three years later "Textbook of Psychiatry" this disease for the first time as Alzheimer's disease - in short: Alzheimer's.

Who is Alzheimer’s?
In 1901, the psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer described the course of his patient Auguste Deter’s illness. At just 51, she suffered from “forgetfulness and delusions.” Age-related dementia was already known at the time, but Deter was far too young for that. Six years later she died “completely stupid”, as Alzheimer noted. During the autopsy, the doctor under the microscope recognized dead nerve cells and large-scale deposits in the brain. In 1907 Alzheimer published a treatise on a “peculiar disease of the cerebral cortex”. Three years later, the “Textbook of Psychiatry” referred to this disease as Alzheimer’s disease for the first time – in short: Alzheimer’s.

More


Twice as many women as men are diagnosed with dementia. Currently around 1.2 million women and around 600,000 men. Most of those affected live in the most populous federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. However, if you look at the proportion of people suffering from dementia in the total population in the individual federal states, the proportion of people in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt is highest at 2.5 percent and lowest in Berlin and Hamburg at 1.7 percent.

Sources: Communication from the German Alzheimer Society, Info sheet German Alzheimer Society, German Alzheimer Society, DPA

rha / dpa

#Subjects

source site