Advanced Age
The biggest determinant of dementia would be advancing age. The risk of dementia rapidly increases once you reach the age of 65. In fact, research has proven that dementia risk doubles every 5 years after 65 years old, so that, by the time you reach 80 years old, the risk of getting Alzheimer’s is around 50 percent. It is estimated that 5 million or more older Americans could have Alzheimer’s disease or another kind of dementia. Since America is a graying society, this means that in the next 40 years or so, the 40 million Americans at risk today will become 88 million in 2050.
Despite these numbers, it is believed that age alone is not the sole determinant of dementia. While an elevated age does indeed increase the risk, it was what you do throughout your life that can tip the tables one way or the other. Dementia is not a normal effect of aging. Some people even develop dementia at a young age.
