Document Type
Article
Department
Brain and Mind Institute
Abstract
Background: The 2024 Lancet Commission Report analyzes 14 risk factors thataccount for 45 percent of global dementia cases. However, it overlooks four criticalrisk factors: poverty, wealth shocks, income inequality, and viral infections. This isparticularly concerning given that 57 percent of the identified risk factors in theLancet report are more prevalent in men, even though dementia predominantly affectswomen worldwide.
Method: In this policy paper, we used the recent global review studies and argue that itis essential to recalibrate and expand the 2024 Lancet Commission’s list of risk factorsto include poverty, wealth shocks, income inequality, and viral infections. Our analysissuggests that these overlooked risk factors could add an additional 20 percent to therisk of developing dementia, indicating that up to 65 percent of global dementia casesmight be preventable.
Result: Furthermore, recognizing these additional risk factors allows for a moreaccurate representation of the global gender disparities in dementia progression. Byincorporating these elements, we demonstrate that 55 percent of global dementiacases are more prevalent in women than in men, aligning with the true epidemiologicalpatterns observed worldwide.
Conclusion: There is a necessity to calibrate the risk factors of the 2024 lancetcommission to improve its global applicability
AKU Student
no
Publication (Name of Journal)
Alzheimer's & Dementia
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70858_098514
Recommended Citation
Mostert, C.
(2025). Reassessing dementia risk: Expanding the 2024 lancet commission report for a more accurate global understanding. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 21(4), e098514.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/bmi/491
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.