In a recent study, a team of researchers dug into the medical records of over 1.3 million people between 65 and 99 years old.
Their focus was on memory problems and mental decline, which means having a hard time thinking and remembering. They studied the records from 2009 to 2018.
Memory Concerns on the Rise
The team discovered that, back in 2009, for every 1,000 people they watched for a year, there was one new person who had trouble thinking and remembering.
But by 2018, things had changed. For every 1,000 people they watched for a year, now there were three new people with these problems. That’s three times as many as before!
Brendan Hallam, a student doing his Ph.D. at UCL Epidemiology & Health Care, led the study. He said this research shows us how common memory problems and mental decline are among older people in the UK.
He also said it gives us a better idea of how likely it is that these symptoms might lead to a serious memory disease called dementia.
Over the last ten years, there’s been a push to get people to talk to their doctors earlier if they’re worried about their memory.
And this study found that people over 80, women, and those living in poorer areas were more likely to talk to their doctors about memory problems. They were also more likely to end up with a dementia diagnosis.
What’s Next After Memory Concerns?
The team found out that, after a person’s doctor wrote down that they had memory concerns, almost half of them would have dementia within three years.
If the person already had mental decline, more than half of them would have dementia in the same time period.
Professor Kate Walters, who worked on the study with Hallam, explained it like this: If a person’s doctor notes they’re worried about their memory, there’s about a 50% chance they’ll have dementia within the next three years.
Hallam added that having problems with memory and thinking aren’t just signs of dementia. They also show a high risk of getting the disease.
This is why it’s so important for doctors to figure out who’s having memory problems as soon as they can. This way, they can give advice on how to improve memory and diagnose dementia at the right time.
The study did have some limits. For example, doctors might not all record memory problems in the same way. The team also said we need to do more research.
They want to figure out why there’s a difference between the number of people who have memory problems in general, and the number of people who go to their doctor with these problems.
To wrap up, this study showed that more and more people are having problems with their memory and thinking. And about half of these people end up with dementia within three years.
This is why it’s so important to talk to your doctor if you’re worried about your memory. The sooner you do, the better chance you have to get help and advice.
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The study was published in Clinical Epidemiology.
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