Older Men More Likely To Suffer Cognitive Impairment

Nearly 25 percent of individuals over 70 have or will have dementia

A study performed for the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging discovered men being 1.5 times more likely than women to have some mild cognitive impairment. Overall, 16 percent of people analyzed (between the ages of 70 and 89) who did not have dementia, had some cognitive impairment.

Researchers explain their surprise in these findings by expressing that Alzheimer’s disease is actually more prevalent in women.

Considering the 16 percent of individuals with cognitive impairment (without dementia) while including nearly 11 percent of those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, researchers explain about 25 percent of the population over the age of 70 either have dementia or are at an increased risk of developing it in the near future.

Researchers explain how the American population is aging, which causes some alarm from these numbers and the impact on the economy, especially health care. Also, the impact this data has on the individuals and their families may be very taxing as well.

Experts explain the importance of early diagnosis and potential intervention therapy as effective tools after learning this information.