"La razón por la que aumentan los índices de demencia es sorprendentemente sencilla"

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En enero, un estudio publicado en la revista Nature Medicine sugirió que, para 2060, el número de estadounidenses con demencia se duplicará hasta alcanzar un total de un millón. Y no sólo eso: también se duplicará el riesgo estimado de desarrollar la enfermedad a lo largo de la vida en comparación con estimaciones anteriores.

Cifras como estas pueden asustar y, de hecho, las proyecciones sobre la demencia conllevan algunas advertencias. Por un lado, sugieren que EE. UU. necesita urgentemente dedicar recursos a aumentar su plantilla de cuidadores para satisfacer las necesidades futuras. Pero, paradójicamente, esta cifra es también una historia de éxito.

Hoy, gracias a décadas de progreso social y médico, más estadounidenses que nunca viven lo suficiente para padecer demencia; en el pasado, más personas habrían muerto de enfermedades cardiovasculares o cáncer a edades más tempranas. Estos avances sanitarios también han retrasado la aparición de la enfermedad en muchas personas.

MateCat

In January, a study published in the journal Nature Medicine suggested that by 2060, the number of Americans with dementia would double to a total of one child.) And not only that: the estimated risk of developing the disease throughout life will also be doubled compared to previous estimates.

Figures like these can be scary, and indeed, projections about dementia carry some caveats. On the one hand, they suggest that the  U.S. urgently needs to devote resources to increasing its workforce of caregivers to meet future needs. But, paradoxically, this figure is also a success story.

Today, thanks to decades of social and medical progress, we Americans never live long enough to suffer from dementia; in the past, we people would have died of cardiovascular disease or cancer at an early age. These health advances have also delayed the onset of the disease in many people.

DeepL

In January, a study published in the journal Nature Medicine suggested that, by 2060, the number of Americans with dementia will double to a total of one million. And not only that: the estimated lifetime risk of developing the disease will also double compared to previous estimates.

Figures like these can be scary, and indeed, the dementia projections carry some caveats. On the one hand, they suggest that the U.S. urgently needs to devote resources to increasing its caregiver workforce to meet future needs. But, paradoxically, this figure is also a success story.

Today, thanks to decades of social and medical progress, more Americans than ever are living long enough to have dementia; in the past, more people would have died of cardiovascular disease or cancer at younger ages. These health advances have also delayed the onset of the disease in many people.