Yahoo Finance Early-Onset Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Have Tripled, Blue Cross Says
The rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease among commercially insured Americans aged 30 to 64 increased by 200% from 2013 to 2017, according to a new analysis by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
The report says that about 131,000 people between the ages of 30 and 64 were diagnosed with either form of dementia in 2017, based on data on medical claims from more than 48 million people insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield companies.
“An increase in Alzheimer’s diagnoses among younger generations can lead to even greater economic consequences and mental stress for those that provide them care,” the health insurer association said in a press release. “Nearly 16 million family members and friends provided over 18 billion hours of unpaid care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease in America, costing an estimated $221 billion.”
