The German Alzheimer Society currently assumes that there are around 1.8 million people with dementia. The number has risen steadily in recent years, especially among those under 65 years of age. Experts see the reason for this in medical development.
According to the German Alzheimer Society (DALZG), the number of people with dementia in Germany is constantly increasing. According to new calculations, around 1.8 million people in Germany are currently living with dementia. Most of them are affected by Alzheimer’s, said the DALZG. According to this, around 440,000 people fell ill with dementia in 2021, and there were significantly more new cases than deaths among those who were ill. In addition, significantly more patients are under the age of 65 than previously thought.
In Germany, it is currently assumed that there are more than 100,000 dementia sufferers in this younger age group. According to the DALZG, depending on how the age structure of the population develops over the next few years, the number of people over the age of 65 with dementia could increase to between 2.4 and 2.8 million by 2050.
However, René Thyrian, board member of the DALZG, does not assume an actual increase in the incidence of the disease among people under 65. “The reason why this number is significantly higher than in previous publications is primarily that diagnostics has improved significantly in recent years,” said the researcher from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in a statement from the Alzheimer Society Cited.
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.
(This article was first published on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.)