Dementias, the Dimension of the Problem: Epidemiology Notes

The population of both the developed and developing world is aging due to the longer life expectancy and declining fertility. Owing to the consequent rapid growth of the elderly population, dementia has become a major problem for the health care systems and public health planning. The world population aged 60 and over was 488 million in 1990 and will be about 1,363 million in 2030, with an increase of 180%. In developed countries the number of elderly is projected to increase from 203 to 358 million during the period 1990–2030, with a percentage increase of 76.3%. Developing countries are facing an even more dramatic demographic transition: the number of elderly is estimated to grow from 286 million in 1990 to 1,005 million in 2030, with an increase of 251%. In 1990 developing countries contained 58% of the world’s elderly, and in 2030 about two thirds of the total elderly population will be dwelling in these countries [1]. Given that age is the most substantiated risk factor for dementia, the aging of the population implies a growing number of persons at risk for dementia.