In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind, a research team led at UC San Francisco has identified the regions where dementia occurs most often.

What They Discovered

Using the Mid-Atlantic as the basis for comparison, researchers found that dementia rates were 25% higher in the Southeast. The Northwest and Rocky Mountains were both 23% higher, and the South was 18% higher. The Southwest, which includes California, was 13% higher; while the Northeast, which includes New York, was 7% higher.

These differences remained when researchers accounted for factors like age, race, and cardiovascular disease. This includes rural areas, where medical care may be less accessible, compared to urban areas.

What’s Next

“The study underscores the need to understand regional differences in dementia and the importance of region-specific prevention and intervention efforts,” said senior author Kristine Yaffe, MD, also of the San Francisco VA Health Care System.

First author Christina Dintica, PhD, said the next step is to investigate the factors driving these differences. “Quality of education, early life conditions, and environmental exposures may be among those factors.”